The Rebbe's visit to a Reform Temple

[ This past Shabbos, I spent the Friday night meal at my ulpan teacher's house. She told the most incredible story of how she got more involved with Judaism and specifically Chabad. ]

A series of events led her searching.

And it was sitting in the bentches at a Reform temple that she found what she was searching for.
The Rabbi got up for his sermon and opened by saying, "I envy the Lubavitchers."

He went on to describe how he had recently went to visit New York and found himself, through pure happenstance, by 770. As soon as he entered the building, the crowds of black swarmed him with warm greetings. Lively greetings of "Welcome! Where are you from?" and "What brings you here?" swarmed his ears. He was beautifully overwhelmed. He had never experienced anything like it.

And it only got better.

He had nowhere to stay that night. So what happens? One of these bearded men invites him to his home.

The reform rabbi is thinking, "Okay, these people sure are freindly."

But it gets better.

The Chassid who is hosting him doesn't actually have a room for him to stay. So he picks up one of his already sleeping children, transfers her to another room, and - voila! - the Reform Rabbi now has a place to sleep.

The reform Rabbi is thinking, "What is going on? He moves his own children for a total stranger?!"

Then the Reform Rabbi thinks, "Wait a second, I don't think this Chabad Chassid actually thinks I'm a stranger. I think he actually thinks he knows me!"

Over his stay, the Reform Rabbi realizes that there is a forgotten Jewish principle that motivates these crazy guys. They actually love every Jew! No Jew is a stranger!

Totally inspired, he thinks, "Wow, this will make an awesome speech at the Temple next week!"

And so it did.

Sitting in the bentches of a "cold environment"(to use her words), my searching teacher hears his words: "I envy the Lubavitchers."

She thinks to herself, "Wow, that's how Judaism is supposed to be. What happened to Judaism? Why is this Reform Rabbi surprised?!"

So right there, in the Reform temple, she discovers the Rebbe's Chassidim, she discovers the Rebbe.

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The Rebbe never left Crown Heights, they say.

The more stories I hear, the more this statement is blown to pieces.

The Rebbe not only left Crown Heights, but he was actually a world traveler.

On one of his visits to a Reform Temple in Alabama, he gave a questioning soul the answer she was looking for.