Tzvi Schectman
Friendship Circle, Jewish, Opinion
A Lesson on Leadership
Every good business or organization has a reason for why they exist. They can tell you their values, mission and goals. At Friendship Circle we have these. But how did Friendship Circle get from where it was in 1994, when it was a group of eight volunteers and 16 children to where it is today, an international organization with over 80 locations, 11,000 volunteers and 7,000 families served?
The inspiration for Friendship Circle and its motivation to continuously do more comes from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory.
The Rebbe, the seventh leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, is considered to have been the most phenomenal Jewish personality of modern times. To hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of sympathizers and admirers around the world, he was — and still is, despite his passing — “the Rebbe,” undoubtedly, the one individual more than any other singularly responsible for stirring the conscience and spiritual awakening of world Jewry.
The Rebbe's unconditional love to people knew no bounds. To the Rebbe they all belonged. He made them feel at home. The Rebbe's warm smile would heal every aching heart.
The Rebbe was always there, offering counsel and blessings, comfort and hope, and often, material help as well.
It is his belief that none of us is complete unless all of us are included. That is the very core and essence of what the Rebbe teaches.
It is this single concept that motivates the Friendship Circle.
Below is an article by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, republished with permission from Chabad.org on the Rebbe's leadership and how he encourages and empowers all of us to constantly do more to make this world a better place.
Unconventional ideas require unconventional strategies. In his later years, the Rebbe did some-thing uniquely tied to his modality of leadership: He would stand in the hallway outside his office every Sunday morning, sometimes for as long as four or five hours, handing thousands of people, one by one, a dollar and a blessing. Students and business people, politicians and police officers, rabbis and rabble rousers, the famous and powerful along with the down and out—there were no limits on who could stand in line and each received the same dollar.
In the past, there were wise men for whom many stood in line for advice. The Rebbe stood for those standing in his line and gave each one a job to do. First, here's a dollar. Why a dollar? The dollar was not yours. It was the Rebbe's dollar that he wished to give to charity. Which charity? The charity that you would choose. You would give that dollar or its equivalent worth, on the Rebbe's behalf, to whatever charity you liked. The Rebbe was investing in you, in your ability to make the right choice and do something good. You and the Rebbe were now bound together in a single act of goodness: The Rebbe's dollar, your choice.
Many then reported to the Rebbe about all the good things they had already done. Very good, the Rebbe would reply, but don’t be satisfied. Double your efforts. And once you’ve doubled them, double again.
And then there was the blessing given to all without exception: Blessing and success. Success in what? In the job you have to do, in your mission in life, in doubling the power of that mission. What mission? The mission in which you have been empowered. Now go, choose, and do something. Always the bottom line: Do.
Empowerment. Leadership. Rebbe.
Our Inspiration
The inspiration for Friendship Circle and its motivation to continuously do more comes from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory.
The Rebbe, the seventh leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, is considered to have been the most phenomenal Jewish personality of modern times. To hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of sympathizers and admirers around the world, he was — and still is, despite his passing — “the Rebbe,” undoubtedly, the one individual more than any other singularly responsible for stirring the conscience and spiritual awakening of world Jewry.
The Rebbe's unconditional love to people knew no bounds. To the Rebbe they all belonged. He made them feel at home. The Rebbe's warm smile would heal every aching heart.
The Rebbe was always there, offering counsel and blessings, comfort and hope, and often, material help as well.
It is his belief that none of us is complete unless all of us are included. That is the very core and essence of what the Rebbe teaches.
It is this single concept that motivates the Friendship Circle.
Below is an article by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, republished with permission from Chabad.org on the Rebbe's leadership and how he encourages and empowers all of us to constantly do more to make this world a better place.
The Rebbe’s Investment
My Thoughts on the Rebbe's Modality of Leadership
Leadership, to many, means leading the masses. To the Rebbe, RabbiMenachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, leadership meant empowering individuals, each one, one by one.Unconventional ideas require unconventional strategies. In his later years, the Rebbe did some-thing uniquely tied to his modality of leadership: He would stand in the hallway outside his office every Sunday morning, sometimes for as long as four or five hours, handing thousands of people, one by one, a dollar and a blessing. Students and business people, politicians and police officers, rabbis and rabble rousers, the famous and powerful along with the down and out—there were no limits on who could stand in line and each received the same dollar.
In the past, there were wise men for whom many stood in line for advice. The Rebbe stood for those standing in his line and gave each one a job to do. First, here's a dollar. Why a dollar? The dollar was not yours. It was the Rebbe's dollar that he wished to give to charity. Which charity? The charity that you would choose. You would give that dollar or its equivalent worth, on the Rebbe's behalf, to whatever charity you liked. The Rebbe was investing in you, in your ability to make the right choice and do something good. You and the Rebbe were now bound together in a single act of goodness: The Rebbe's dollar, your choice.
Many then reported to the Rebbe about all the good things they had already done. Very good, the Rebbe would reply, but don’t be satisfied. Double your efforts. And once you’ve doubled them, double again.
And then there was the blessing given to all without exception: Blessing and success. Success in what? In the job you have to do, in your mission in life, in doubling the power of that mission. What mission? The mission in which you have been empowered. Now go, choose, and do something. Always the bottom line: Do.
Empowerment. Leadership. Rebbe.
This article was written by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, also heads our Ask The Rabbi team. He is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing, visit Freeman Files subscription.
