The opening of preparations for the 10th of Shevat – the date marking the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson’s, acceptance of leadership over our generation – has taken place at Machon “Chaya-Mushka,” the leading educational institution of the Dnipro Jewish Community for girls.
The preparations are being conducted under the guidance of teachers Leah Romanovskaya, as well as Miriam Tereshkevich and Zivi Smilyanskaya. They are aimed at a deep understanding of the significance of this day, its place in Jewish history, and each student’s personal connection to the Rebbe.
As part of the first stage of preparation, all the girls received special booklets containing a maamar for study and memorization. The work with the text is structured according to age: younger classes study the maamar starting from the first letter, while older classes study the specific maamar that is being studied worldwide this year, combining personal learning with the general process adopted in Chabad.
In addition to studying the maamar, the students were offered a practical form of preparation. The girls were given the opportunity to develop their own project, which they will present on the 10th of Shevat and subsequently implement by the end of the month of Shevat. Such a project should become an expression of recognizing the Rebbe’s leadership and guidance, both on a global and personal level, as well as how each participant sees her role in fulfilling the Rebbe’s mission and channeling her efforts into positive action. This is meant to be the essence of a project based on revealing and understanding one’s purpose and mission.
“The preparation for the 10th of Shevat at Machon ‘Chaya-Mushka’ combines the study of Chassidic texts with practical activity, helping the students understand not only the historical and spiritual significance of this date but also their place in the Rebbe’s ongoing leadership of our generation,” notes the director of the machon, Rachel Milman. “I am confident that the girls will prepare very well for this extremely important date, and their work will become an important part of the celebration of the 10th of Shevat in the united and close-knit Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
