Rabbi's Blog - Chabad of Central Switzerland

How I Measure Success

Thursday, April 28, 2011 - 5:26 PM

Dear Friends,

I suppose most of you took part in some way in the organization of a small or even big event. You will surely agree with me, that if the guest at the event want it to be a successful and enjoyable event, even more so the organizers.

This week something nice happened to me; a small event which I had planned was canceled, and yet, there was a significant dimension of success.
How so?

Once a month I organize a lunch time meeting in Zug called “Lunch and Learn”. This is a one hour meeting, where business people and others working near the Chabad Center in Zug, take a break from their intensive work day and enjoy a kosher bagel lunch and some Jewish wisdom with timely messages.

Yesterday, Thursday, I had to c… Read More »

“Rabbi, Why An Empty Chair?“

Thursday, April 14, 2011 - 7:22 PM

A couple of years ago, at the end of our community Seder at the Luzern Bahnhof, one of the participants, a business man who was in Luzern for business purposes, came up to me and pulled me aside to ask a question. With a serious face he asks, how come there was an empty seat at his table? Was it on purpose?

I was a bit taken aback by the seriousness that he was taking the issue, and answered him simply, that there was someone who was supposed to come, but for whatever reason couldn’t make it, and there was nothing to worry about.

The man goes on to say: “I’ll be honest with you, young Rabbi (5 years ago I was still considered thatJ), I was a bit surprised to see this, since you are a Chabad Rabbi…”

At first… Read More »

I Broke a Swiss Record

Friday, April 1, 2011 - 1:18 AM

Dear Friends,

Last week Friday, at the time when some of you might have been reading my weekly email, my twins and I took part in a Swiss record breaking event.

I had the honor to sit in the traffic jam, which I later read in the newspaper, is being called the longest traffic jam in Swiss history.

As every morning, I left my house with my children to drive them to the Jewish Kindergarten in Zurich. However, what on a usual day would be a 33 minute drive, took me no less than 3 hours and fifteen minutes!

Most of the time you just literally sit in traffic and don’t move… around you are cars upon cars with all kinds of people who are looking at you with annoyed glances.

You keep looking at the watch, and after one and ha… Read More »