Chabad Houses Open Rabbi's Room for Rosh Hashanah Prayers
The Chabad-Lubavitch movement is opening the "Rebbe's Room" at its 770 headquarters in Kfar Chabad for continuous public access from Thursday morning until Friday afternoon, ahead of Rosh Hashanah. This initiative allows individuals to pray in the Rebbe's space and write a "pidyon nefesh" (a written prayer or request) to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Rebbe.
Menahem Laiter, director of the Agudat Chasidei Chabad (Aguch) house, stated that the staff is prepared to assist visitors, emphasizing that "for those who cannot travel to our holy courts, this is the place to come, as the Rebbe said."
The opening is part of a broader effort by Chabad emissaries across Israel to prepare for Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays. The "Youth of Agudat Chabad" organization has launched a campaign encouraging attendance at synagogues for prayers and to hear the Shofar (ram's horn). They are also offering services such as mezuzah checks, sending written blessings to the Rebbe's tomb, and locating nearby Shofar-blowing events.
Additionally, Chabad emissaries will conduct prayers in large tents as part of the "Open Synagogue" project, which has drawn hundreds of thousands of participants in recent years. They will also hold services and holiday meals for patients and their families in Israeli hospitals through the "Lev Chabad" project, and for new immigrants in Russian and French-speaking communities.
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov, chairman of Youth of Agudat Chabad, noted the significant increase in attendees at Chabad houses and open synagogues in recent years, ensuring that preparations are in place for all who wish to pray and hear the Shofar.
