By Rabbi Mendel Rubin
Some years ago, our Chabad at UAlbany was involved in a national study of Jewish life on campus. A faculty member named Fern from the host university near Boston came to do interviews here and we spent quite some time preparing the data she needed.
They were trying to match up home and family demographics and affiliations with actual student observance on campus. But in our interview with this researcher, it kept coming up how we don’t track that data as much. Students surprise us, souls are so interesting. Life has so many twists and turns, you never know who will end up being more involved and dedicated to Jewish life.
That “you never know” theme got her to tell this personal story. Turns out that Fern graduated UAlbany in the mid 1970’s. During her senior year a young, bearded Rabbi had a table in the campus center where he offered to teach women the art of lighting Shabbos candles. (This was not long after the Rebbe began the Shabbat candle lighting campaign for Jewish women and girls).
All year she passed by and never stopped at the table. Was it college peer pressure, was it his beard, fear of the unknown? She doesn’t remember. But towards the end of her senior year, in one of her last weeks before graduation, she stopped by the table. The rabbi explained to her the meaning and significance of this mitzvah, and how to light the candles. She told us that she continues to light them to this day.
That young Rabbi was my father Rabbi Israel Rubin. My parents moved to Albany NY on the Rebbe’s Shlichus in 1974, they founded the Shabbos House Chabad Student Center at SUNY Albany in 1976.
But he and my mother Rochel were already tabling there on campus in 1975 with the Rebbe’s Shabbos candle-lighting campaign. Whatever they might have thought of the many who passed their table, Fern is a proud and involved Jewish woman today, still lighting the candles each Friday.
Two takeaways:
Never underestimate the lasting power of one single, small choice. Going over to that table at the end of her senior year left her with something beautiful that lasts a lifetime.
My parents may have felt frustrated sitting there week after week with many deliberately avoiding the table. But it pays off, it’s very much worth the effort.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin is one of the hostages held in Gaza. His mother Rachel has been asking Jewish women and girls around the world to light Shabbat candles in the merit of her son and all the hostages. “If you will observe the Shabbat candles, I will show you the lights of Zion!” (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni Behaalotecha)
