ב"ה
“Notifying community members in advance of kibbudim to be given to them on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a great way to draw in those who might not have considered attending,” states Rabbi Yossi Hecht of Ocala, Florida.
Inspired by a congregant in his shul and drawing upon resources he found on the Shluchim Exchange, Rabbi Hecht sent postcards to baalei batim in advance of Rosh Hashanah, notifying them of the type of honor they were to receive, as well as the date and approximate time it was to take place. Upon arriving to shul, a reminder card was given to each honoree at the door including the page number of the honor and any pertinent instructions.
“There are those who tend to only come to shul on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Honoring them with a kibbud on the second day of Rosh Hashana may cause them to show up on the second day as well. In addition, those who have been honored with a kibbud that takes place later on in the davening will very likely stay until after receiving their honor, enabling us to have a minyan during mussaf despite the mass exodus that inevitably takes place after tekias shofar.
“Bestowing honors unto people generates a feeling of anticipation throughout the davening. It also lends more seder to the flow of the davening,” concludes Rabbi Hecht.
Resources from the Shluchim Exchange:
High Holiday Honors Card (postcard to mail) by Rabbi Mendy Deitsch – Chandler, AZ, USA
What do you do if your child disobeys you when you say “no”? How should you react when your child complains to you about his teacher? How do you handle a child of yours who’s not up to the standards of your other children? The following is an article published in Chabad House Compass Magazine, a publication of Merkos Suite 302, exclusively for shluchim and is being released to the public for the first time.
An interview with Rabbi Yoseph Vigler, Shliach and Rav of the Mayan Yisroel Center of Chassidus in Flatbush.