In Search of a Spiritual Mentor
Beis Moshiach spoke with the shliach to Rutgers University in New Jersey, R ’ Yosef Tzvi Carlebach, who runs a Chabad empire with a multi-million dollar annual budget, wanting to hear the secret of how to fundraise. * What is the best way to connect with wealthy people? * What do you do when the rich man tells his security guards to throw you out of his office? * How do wealthy donors react to the Besuras HaGeula and how should a shliach react when he is threatened that a large donation will be retracted because of publicizing the identity of Moshiach ?
I recently received an email with an astonishing quote from a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz (vol. 13, p. 343) which provides a new perspective on fundraising:
“The Alter Rebbe writes that the hand which gives tz’daka becomes a merkava (heavenly chariot), so when the collector is involved in tz’daka, his entire body is a chariot to G-dliness. And in the days of such work in the act of tz’daka with real dedication he can rectify the days and years of childhood, youth, and early marriage and redeem himself from imprisonment to the animal soul and cleanse himself from the mud of the sins of youth, and with Hashem’s help, place himself in a corner of light, and merit length of days and years …”
I repeated this to R’ Carlebach at the beginning of the interview and he responded with a story. “There was once a shliach who received a large sum of money. He wrote to the Rebbe that he no longer has to fundraise, because the money he got was enough for his salary and for all his activities.
“The Rebbe responded by saying – this is my entire intention, that you include people in your activities through their donations and the more money you take from them, the closer they become to me, and just as you need to put t’fillin on with them, so too you need to give them the merit of the mitzva of tz’daka and get them to donate for the good work of Lubavi"http://www.beismoshiach.org/process/CreateJournalEntryComment?moduleId=15330986&entryId=35674732">
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Avrohom Rainitz. "In Search of a Spiritual Mentor." Beis Moshiach, no. 1018 (May 1, 2016).