Mitzvah tank: Difference between revisions
Removed florid POV "History" section: did not address history of phenomenon, duplicated info in leader and "Purpose" sections Tag: section blanking |
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The strategy behind the Mitzvah tank "campaigns" was designed and encouraged by the seventh [[rebbe]] of [[Chabad Lubavitch]], [[Rabbi]] [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]] (1902-1994). |
The strategy behind the Mitzvah tank "campaigns" was designed and encouraged by the seventh [[rebbe]] of [[Chabad Lubavitch]], [[Rabbi]] [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]] (1902-1994). |
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==History== |
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In 1974, a vehicle began to make its appearance in the streets of Manhattan. Even in that hubbub of crowd and clamor, this strange vehicle attracted attention. |
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It was a standard van of the “U-Haul” or “Ryder” variety. Its back door was rolled up, showing a cargo of one large wooden table, two wooden benches, and a dozen young men with beards and black hats. From a loudspeaker taped to its roof issued forth a medley of Chassidic songs played at high volume—that is, high enough to make itself heard above the din of a Manhattan street corner. Large posters taped to the sides of the van proclaimed: “MITZVAH TANK”, “Teffilin on Board” and “Mitzvot On The Spot For People On The Go.” The Rebbe had sent his tanks into the battle for the soul of the American Jew. |
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If a large part of American Jewry had ceased to attend minyan each morning to don tefilIin and pray, the Rebbe was going to bring the tefillin to them. He was going to send one of his students to stop the American Jew on a city sidewalk. “Excuse me, Sir,” the lad would say. “Are you Jewish?” If the answer was affirmative, the young man would continue: “Would you like to put on tefillin today? It’s a mitzvah.” The Jew would be invited aboard, roll up his left sleeve, bind the tefillin to his arm and head, and recite a short prayer. |
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If the Jew was a she, she would be offered a free kit containing a pair of candlesticks and candles, and a brochure with all the information necessary to light Shabbat candles that Friday evening—the proper time (18 minutes before sunset), the blessings in Hebrew and English, and a short message on the importance of ushering Shabbat into her home. The Jew would also be offered literature on the Rebbe’s other “mitzvah campaigns”, or assistance in anything from having a mezuzah checked to finding a Jewish school for their child. |
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Eventually, the Ryder vans were replaced with mobile homes equipped with shelves for books and comfortable seating for a quick discussion or even an impromptu class. Yet the concept remained the same: Go out there and get a Jew to do a mitzvah.<ref>[http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/timeline_cdo/aid/62178/jewish/1974-The-Mitzvah-Tank.htm The Mitzvah Tank chabad.org]</ref> |
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== Appearance and description== |
== Appearance and description== |
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Revision as of 11:09, 11 February 2011
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A Mitzvah tank is a vehicle utilized by the Orthodox Jewish practitioners of Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism as a portable "educational and outreach center" and "mini-synagogue" to reach out to non-observant and alienated Jews. Mitzvah tanks have been commonplace on the streets of New York City since 1974. Today they are found all over the globe in countries where Chabad is active.
Terminology
The word Mitzvah means a "commandment" of the Torah in Orthodox Judaism, but also carries with it the connotation of a good deed. Lubavitchers use these vehicles to spread the teachings of Judaism to the Jewish masses in "military fashion" in which "campaigns" and battles are fought, hence the naming of the vans and trucks as "tanks".
The strategy behind the Mitzvah tank "campaigns" was designed and encouraged by the seventh rebbe of Chabad Lubavitch, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994).
Appearance and description
Mitzvah tanks can be vans, travel trailers, recreational vehicles, campervan or pickup trucks. On Sukkot, vehicles may be fitted with a portable Sukkah (the Sukkah-mobile). Mitzvah tanks are put into operation on the eve of major Jewish holidays and Fridays prior to Shabbat. The vehicles often have large banners or logos on them, extolling some aspect of Judaism or displaying images of Rabbi Schneerson. Some Mitzvah Tanks have external speakers attached which are used to play klezmer-style music. The tanks, usually manned by young male Lubavitch students in the Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim, park in areas with heavy people-traffic and seek Jews to perform Mitzvahs by asking passers-by: "Are you Jewish?"
Purpose
Lubavitchers manning the tank will usually hand out brochures or cards with information about performing mitzvot. They encourage passerby to perform mitzvot with an emphasis on those part of the Chabad mitzvah campaigns, and assist those who are willing to perform religious rituals, such as the putting on of Tefillin (phylacteries) with men and boys, and hand out candles and candle-lighting information to women and girls to light in honor of the Shabbat.