By Paul Lapis
Locked within the confines of the science library, the pungent musty aroma of retired books saturates both the body and mind. A long stare through the paned windows sparks only a futile attempt of imagination to liberate the soul from the oppression of overly complicated molecular pathways and uninteresting trinkets of information that must be forced in. Time passes and sighs are extinguished, but right before the moment where all hope is lost, a glance outside reveals a colorful array of purple hues approaching the horizon. Could it be, that in the haste of academic pursuits, I had forgotten both the time and day of the week?
A Friday sunset can have different meaning to different people. Some see a chance to get more work done without the inconvenience of a school schedule. Others imagine the corks flying and the caps snapping, as a chance of chemical freedom has surfaced and must be taken full advantage of. To me, the subtle dance between day and night can mean only one thing: Chabad. It is with this instantaneous association and drive that I am able to stop “doing” and start “being”.
Explaining the emotion that surrounds the ritual of Shabbat with Chabad is like trying to explain a romantic piece of Chopin by breaking it apart and quantifying bars and measures. It is only through mutual experience and association that understanding can be accomplished, and for this reason I will entertain the experienced and inexperienced with brief analogies: Walking through Chabad’s doors is like coming back home after a long vacation. Greeting the Rabbi and his wife is like saying hello to good friends who you never can get enough of. And being around the people who share this excitement is like that moment after an exceptionally good joke where for a brief moment in time, everyone is able to share the same kind of happiness surrounding a single event.
Meaning in itself is subjective, and chances are that what I get out of a Friday night with Chabad is very different from what you could want for yourself. But common knowledge reveals that most of us have our worries through responsibilities to the world for which we constantly struggle to change for the better. One thing that you can be certain of is that Chabad can offer you a venue to simply enjoy yourself and relax, and with that I wholeheartedly implore you to join me next Friday, and every Friday after that.