Jerusalem – The chareidi community in Israel, which depends on a lifeline of donations from abroad, has come up with creative ideas during these days of economic distress.
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This coming week, thirty gvirim from Israel and abroad will spent a VIP Shabbos with the Belzer rebbe in his retreat in Telz-Stone. They will eat at the rebbe’s table and daven in his private minyan. For this privilege, they had to separate from at least $200,000. The gvirim’s identities remains a guarded secret, but it is known that most of them are not from Israel.
This follows a pattern spearheaded by the Gerrer chassidim. Only one and a half months ago, they offered a similar cozy Shabbos with the rebbe, for gvirim who donate upwards of $250,000 for the experience.
A Belz askan explained, “All the chassidic institutions are suffering economic difficulties because of the drastic drop in donations. We’re doing everything possible to save the situation. Besides planning this unique Shabbos, the rebbe’s son and his gabbai have gone abroad for several weeks to fundraise. This private Shabbos with the rebbe is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
So what else is news that Rebbes are fundraisers? But if a person can pay $250,000.00 for a shabbos meal with a rebbe that rebbe is sure a baal mofes
Good for them. I would personally not spend that kind of money, but they obviously think tis worth it!
With all due respect for the heilege rebbe, why would ANYONE spend that much money for shabbos with the rebbe….many years ago, I was zoche to spend a shabbos at 770 with the late Lubavitcher rebber, Z’ TL, and the cost was the busfare from Philadelphia to NYC and the subway to Broolklyn (In fact I came home with $1 more than I left).
Once the rabbi sees that it works he will definitely do it every shabbos.
This is pathetic.
Wat bout the women, do they get vit a from the Rebbetzins?
Its a shame such great big gedolim have to lower themselves and take away their precious learning time for such things. Chaval!
This is brilliant. Anything that encourages people to donate more money than they already do is worth it. In the “secular” world, charities auction off dinners or other time with celebrities because it brings in more money. Cancer charities, children’s charities and the like all do it!
What a great way to learn from the fundraising acheivments of “secular” organizations and be able to incorporate it into our fundraising programs in an appropriate way.
sad that an entire community is set up in a way that its people and institutions cannot survive without schnorring from others
Real Chilul Hashem this religion is not a business.
ya gotta do what ya gotta do
#2 ‘kol leitzonise asire bar mileitzonisa davodezora’ BB(?) #4 i’m sure you have no problem with so much a plate at , lets say , republican fundraiser with the USA president attending. so whats the differ,. lehavdel..you are in awe of the president and we are in awe, lehavel bein tohor and lo tuhor, the rebbes
You come to my house for Shabbos for a mere $10,000.
shlomo hamelech in shir hashirim used the of love between husband & wife as a metaphor to kaviyochol the love between hashem & the bnei yisroel
there is a vort told over that had shlomo hamelech written shir hashirim after the founding of chassidus he would have used the metaphor of the love between a chosid & his rebbe ( theres a point there)
these shabbosim are just one example of the bond ( in no way do i mean that w/o going your bond is less) these gevirim would give the $ anyway its just that being w/ the rebbe for shabbos is greater than any plaque or piece of silver
one more point is that everyone would be better off IF WE HAD A CONNECTION TO A ADAM GADOL THAT WAS WORTH TO US 250,000 (you DONT have to have the money we DO need to have the connection
It’s a reward for those who contributed those amounts throughout the year, not a lump sum. I believe many G’virim even in today’s times still contribute to their own mosdos,litvishe or chasidish. Ask Lakewood.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to throw away several hundered thousand dollars…there are so many worthy charities here in the U.S……why throw it away on a trip to EY for one weekend….
P.S. You can go on Utube and watch videos of the Rebbe’s tisch for a lot less than $200K and eat your own wife’s kugel and chulent at the same time.
Anybody stop and think before they get all negative? You are dealing with two huge groups that have yeshivos, kollels, charitable projects, shuls etc around the world. Obviously they have major funraising requirements and there is nothing wrong with using a unique approach to get large donations. The people giving the money are clearly dedicated chasidim and as a chasid I can tell you that it is uplifting and sometimes a life altering experience to spend an extended amount of time with a true manhig espescially if you have the opportunity to have conversation with him.
#7 this is not a new phenom., it has been so thruout ages that chassidim did so . so if you dont know dont remark ‘its the times’!
Anonymous from Philly,
Anyone can go and spend a shabbes with any Rabbi he wants, paying the same minimal price you did, Ger, Belz or any other out there.
This affair, however, is an intimate and one on one catered solely to these respected donors.
I believe every single participant came by his free will and is elated to have the opportunity to help the Yiddisheh institutions in Israel that are in dire need of help.
terrible act of chilul hashem this will cause more hatred in the secular world.
#15 – THIS RELIGION IS IN BUSINESS OF PROMOTING HASHEMS TORAH & MITZVOS the monies raised doent go to the rebbes pocket
reframe your outlook if 5 million dollars comes in , view it as x# of mishnayos ,pesukim chumash, krias shma… the future is in the mosdos /
#18- the rebbe or rosh yeshiva as a public figure can accomplish way more in this shabbos that 100 blatt ; thru his efforts this shabbos / the rebbis & moros can get pd the gevirim are elevated bruchnius,the staff is mechuzak to continue the operation these kehillos are no picnic to run its a daily struggle & thE rebbe agreeing to join these vip weekends sends a powerful message to all how important this is EVERYBODY WINS
Is this religion or business?
Reminds be of the “I want be a rabbi (rock star)” song…. I would not pay him any money for a shabbos- but the rabbi is more them welcome to come to my home for shabbos free of charge.
Shimusho yoser m’limudo. B’h we still have this belief that the ultimate limud is to be by an adom godol. Halivai I should be at such a madriega.
For those of you suggesting the money should go to a more worthy cause- please read it again. They aren’t spending that kind of money ON the Shabbos like a fancy wedding ! Its going for the Mosdos that cover everything.
#16 it is really SAD that you are completly ignorant how the riboni shel oilom hot avekgshtelt the whole yiddishkeit on such a sytem its called ‘yissoschar zevulin’ parnership…by the way non -jews or nebech so called – – – – give millions of $$$ to universities etc, etc i’m sure it doesnt bother you ..so whats pshat on all you who find fault with this …there is along psheltel on this …but the point is made.
#17 we dont have to learn from the secular world…this is as old as the giving of the torah
Politiicans,including presidents, in the US do the same thing.
I have no problem with the rebbes for millions of dollars coming into his mosdos hatorah (chas vshalom if you give to his brothers mosdos hatorah) but the people that give the money are fools believing in so called gedolim
why not its his free will to give to whomever he choses and if he feels he wants to be with the rebbe good for him, i am wandering who is the person would like very much to know, a gutten shabbas to all
I find it extremely disturbing that folks that are able to part with $200K to help (what we will assume for purposes of this post is) a worthy cause, yet they are only willing to do so if they get “Gvir Koved” and special cuddling time with the Rebbe — that’s just sad.
If they believe in the cause, then they should stay home and bump up their donation by the $5,000 of first-class airfare that they saved.
This money is for tzducka it is a very hard time for anyone to give money if this way makes it easier for someone to give 250000 so be it. It is still a great mitzvah they just need a push
What comes next, Ebay auctions for the right to have dinner with a rav? I guess if there can be a charity fundraising auction for lunch with Warren Buffett, then why can’t rabbis do this to raise money for tzedakah? The only problem with this might be that some rabbis might feel embarrassed if their auction raises much less than the auction of another rabbi. Perhaps the rabbis could recruit Jewish celebrities and have fundraising auctions for the right to spend a day with them.
#44 just talk it into your self mr ‘well read’….from your remarks alone one can see how ‘well read’ you are, more likley you are ‘ange read(t)’ .its possibele you are ‘well read’ from the wrong sources . there are sources that are anti… and put in such light , and then there are ehrliche sources..you have your inspiration from the former…
to all thsoe kanoim against this(old) idea ..when you see a neighbor , friend , etc buy a lexis, build beautiful house etc, etc do you also tell them ‘you couldve done this or that good deed with your money’ ?
This money is for tzducka it is a very hard time for anyone to give money if this way makes it easier for someone to give 250000 so be it. It is still a great mitzvah they just need a push
honestly I think the is a chasidish litvish argument . how much would you give to spend a shabbos with your Rosh Yeshiva and how much would I give to spend with my Rebbe? the answer is obvious
and this is a fact
#29 guys like you can really use a shabbos with a holy rebbe. you are missing quit a lot in your yiras shomayim
Shame on Ger and Belz! People don’t have food on their table. I’m nauseous beyond nauseous that people idolize a rebbe like avodah zorah to spend that kind of money to spend shabbos. How could these rebbes take it???JUst for their kovod kovod kovod. Ich bin!!! I am sick to my stomach. If it’s not a cow it’s the rebbe. They are always making it to the news. In some way or other.
#51 dont know why one has to bring reyous for this. its a gemmorah and paskened in shulchen urach one has to give koved for gevirim , they should sit muzrech wall se hilchos beth hakneses .also see ras first mishna mes. zevochim, ‘shimon achi azaryeh’
#48 is addressed to #43
its unfortunate that a reg baleboos like me gets 1 minute tops with any rebbe but a gvir gets what he wants. it just shows that money rules all even in yidishkeit. For Shame
#43 you should get your info. about the holy tzaddikim , and talmedai ball shem from sefotim like , zicron rishonim, siach sarfei kodesh , chut hamshilesh, sefer zikoron etc, etc mekoros hakdushe not fron the likes of, lehavdil, sholem aleicehm etc etc. now this i learned more than you’ll ever ever learn, ifyou keep your derech…
#57 true story…make it short ..chasid went for tishri to the holy tzanzer..spend there till after sukkas. waited long line to go into yechidus before returning home and waited and waited…all of a sudden this fellow was escorted in without waiting.when he finnally had yechidus he complained i waited waited etc and this man just walked in ,so the holy rebbe asked him ‘how was your stay,lodging, how was the food you had (everyhing was provided by the rebbe and a lot of chassidim came ) so this chassid said everything was very good..the rebbe told ‘this man paid for everything’. yes thats the proper thing al pi torah see shulchen urach, and no, its no shame. . yes one who gives to a mosed $100,000’s of thousand or whatever large sum should get preference. #54 not that there is nothing wrong , but you have to. also there is halacha ‘mefarsemin oisay mitzvah’
#60 ‘aizayhu apikores ,hamvaze talmidai chachomim’ prek chelek
#43 ..you sound like a thru and thru communist ‘middle class’ we shulod all be equal, let the poor or ‘middle class not feel..’ etc
#43 you know, the more i read your ranting the more i feel your way over the ‘deep end’ it ‘really makes alot of (non) sense”
Anybody stop and think before they get all negative? You are dealing with two huge groups that have yeshivos, kollels, charitable projects, shuls etc around the world. Obviously they have major funraising requirements and there is nothing wrong with using a unique approach to get large donations. The people giving the money are clearly dedicated chasidim and as a chasid I can tell you that it is uplifting and sometimes a life altering experience to spend an extended amount of time with a true manhig espescially if you have the opportunity to have conversation with him.
Who gave the Rebber a hetter to work on Shabbes?
taht is the difference between lubavitch and other chassidus.
the Rebbe would give yechidus to all those who asked, any shnuk as well as any “gadol”, politician… was able tos pend time with the Rebbe.
The Rebbe never took a dollar from anyone for seeing him and the rebbe would distribute thousands of dollars on sundays and give a bracha to everyone that passed, even if he wqas the poorest of the poorest. the lubavitcher rebbe was not obsessed with gettin ghis hands on other’s money and he built up a huge empire, as well.
Why is it allowed of them to charge for Shabbos? We don’t pay to be with gedolim, that is chukat goyim.