Unconditional Love!

I personally never had a dog. Growing up we had a rabbit – only because the gardener brought her in after ‘damaging’ the mother.

My wife, growing up in Brooklyn where many dogs run loose and may carry any number of shareable diseases, has also never had the experience of a pet dog.

Ever since returning to the Island about three years ago, I find myself very often visiting people in their homes whether it may be for a class, social event or any other reason I might cross their front door. Usually, seconds after I ring the bell, there is a noise on the other side which sounds like nails (finger that is) on wood. So I have slowly grown accustomed to the feel of a wet tongue on my hand or brushing hair of my suit pants as I leave a house.

When asked “Why the dog?” most people will reply; the kids wanted it or I always grew up with one – or even that we don’t want to have kids for a few years so we got a dog instead.

When pushed a little deeper I understood that the love affair with dogs is just that – a love affair. And as I have heard from some of my closest friends how great the feeling is when you come home from work and the dog runs over to you and just shows you complete devotion. It runs after you wagging its tail waiting to curl up on your lap and lick your face. It really has unconditional love.

Wow!

I guess that speaks volumes about us Human Beings!

But in truth that is how us humans act. We live in a world that is very competitive, and we are overwhelmed by stress and other pressures which easily distract us from what is truly valuable in our lives. Sometimes we demand too much from ourselves or too much from others. Our relationships become very complex (as all relationships can be) and detailed.

Hence, it is rare that we have unconditional love from anyone/thing. But you occasionaly have a person who has the ability to see beyond all of that and do something that in general we are not able to do. To stay focused and ignore all the noise distracting us from what is truely valueable.

On Tuesday World Jewry will mark the 13th Yartzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He was a great man; a leader, a scholar, a visionary etc. etc.

But one of the greatest attributes that he had was his love for a fellow Jew. Whether it was the private audiences until 5 AM or even sending someone to the farthest corners of the globe just so that another Jew should have Matzah for Passover, it was his love that propelled him to devote every waking hour to further Jewish causes around the world.

Love, not for what you can do for him or what he can get out of you,  not for what you have accomplished or even where your potential can bring you. Just simple love because of your essence. Because of your soul. Completely Unconditional.

In 1986 the Rebbe came up with a novel idea. There were so many people that wanted to meet him and receive his advise and blessing that there were literally months of waiting lists in order to receive an audience. Starting on his 84th birthday (that year April 20th) he stood every Sunday for hours on end to meet thousands of people who came to talk to him. Everyone who passed by received a blessing and a dollar that they should give to charity “because when two people meet – a third should benefit”.

One hot Sunday afternoon in the summer of 1991, an elderly lady was patiently waiting her turn in the long line anticipating the moment of receiving the Rebbe's blessing and the dollar bill to be given to tzedakah.

When her turn finally arrived, this lady blurted out in her simple Yiddish, "Rebbe! I've been standing here for only an hour and I'm already exhausted. You have been standing here for hours and hours, and just look....!"

The Rebbe smiled gently and said, "When you are counting diamonds, you don't get tired."

Today – thousands of his students around the world strive to embody his teachings and treat others with the same unconditional love that the Rebbe taught.

On this coming Tuesday we will reflect on what the Rebbe stood for and make a firm commitment to continue all that he has taught us.