Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Despite the fact that the terrorist attack in Mumbai last week has been likened to the attack on New York on September 11, 2002, the response by the Chabad community worldwide has been nothing like that of the United States after that horrific event. In fact, it has been just the opposite.

Rather than asking the world to take revenge on the terrorists, Chabad has requested that the Jewish world in particular respond by performing ?mitzvot,? or commandments. These include acts of loving kindness, giving charity, lighting Sabbath and holiday candles, saying prayers, and studying Torah (the Old Testament or Bible) among other things. Even 6,000 college students united to take part in an emergency ?Mitzvot for Mumbai? campaign launched by the Chabad on Campus International Foundation.

According to Nina Amir, author and inspirational speaker, ?This community, is not only mourning the death of two people who have been called ?tzaddikim,? righteous ones, well loved and doing much good work in Mumbai, but also is having to deal with the fact that they are a terrorist target,. Yet, they are neither striking out in anger nor cowering in fear. Rather, they are reaching out and asking people to respond with love and good deeds in a time when hate and aggression seems the preferred emotions and actions to take.?

When the Chabad house was attacked on November 26, Chabad Emissary Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah were murdered. The Holtzberg's son, who celebrates his 2nd birthday on that day, was saved by his courageous nanny. ?Interestingly, Rivkah?s parents requested that in her memory, Jewish women should light Shabbat (Sabbath) candles each Friday,? said Amir, who is writing a book called ?Setting a Place for God, A Woman?s Guide to Creating Sacred Space and Inviting the Divine to Dwell Within It,? which is about Jewish women taking on Sabbath candle lighting as a spiritual practice. ?In this way, just when the world seems darkest, women, who traditionally have the role of lighting Shabbat candles each Friday night, help bring light into the world. The hope remains that if enough women light candles each Friday, and if enough Jews fill the world with Torah and mitzvot, they also can fill the world with enough light so that terror and darkness have nowhere to hide.?

Amir concluded by adding, ?That said, if enough people in general ? Jews and non-Jews alike ? do good deeds and say prayers, we can accomplish the same thing. We can shine enough light into the world to create change in a very different manner.?

Through her company, Pure Spirit Creations, Amir offers practical spirituality, human potential and personal growth tools from a Jewish perspective, but her teachings cross the lines of most religious and spiritual traditions. She serves as the holiday and spirituality expert on ?Conversations with Mrs. Claus,? a podcast offered on www.thefamilyyak.com, heard in 90 different countries and listened to by over 80,000 listeners each month. She has published a short version of "Setting a Place for God," called "The Priestess Practice," which is available at www.purespiritcreations.com.