Mission Statement
Chabad of S. Barbara is dedicated to serving all Jews throughout S. Barbara County with unconditional love, respect and concern. Chabad is committed to promoting Jewish knowledge, awareness and practice, strengthening Jewish identity and affording every Jew the opportunity to experience the joy and vibrancy of his or her Jewish heritage. Chabad is devoted to providing exemplary educational, religious, and social services for young and old alike, regardless of background or affiliation. Chabad pledges to fulfill the mandate of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by increasing in acts of goodness and kindness for all humankind; thus preparing the world for the ultimate redemption.
Description
The following story about Rabbi Schneur Zalman the founder of Chabad will clearly illustrate the motto of Chabad.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman had a son, Rabbi Dov Ber, who was known for his remarkable ability to concentrate. Usually, when he was praying or studying, he did not notice anything around him.
One day, Rabbi Dov Ber was studying while his infant son slept in a nearby cradle. The baby woke up, fell out of the cradle and began to cry. Rabbi Dov Ber heard nothing. Rabbi Schneur Zalman, on an upper floor studying, heard the cry of the child, though. He interrupted his studies, came downstairs, picked up the child and soothed it. All the while, his son noticed nothing.
Later on, Rabbi Schneur Zalman reprimanded his son, saying, "No matter how important a matter a person is busy with, he must always hear the cry of a child."
"Hearing the cry," of a child in tears or in Jewish knowledge is a task to which we must all dedicate ourselves. It is something which Chabad-Lubavitch has always been committed to. It is a message that we aspire to instill in others--always hearing the cry of a Jew in need, no matter where or what he is.
