Question for Lubavitch women

MMEC123

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 7:07 am

Please excuse my ignorance...

I was just curious who decides who becomes shluchim? Do the people decide for themselves, does someone ask them (you get the idea)? Also, how is it decided where they go? I was just curious and I figured since lots of you know first hand, this would be the best place to ask.

southernbubby

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 7:13 am

If someone wants to become a shaliach, they look for a place that needs one. They also have to be able to fundraise enough money for their salary and programs since there is no central office that pays them. In some countries, there is an open need for them and American money may go farther. In the US, there are alway new neighborhoods being built where Jews are moving and need Jewish identity. Usually the shluchim try to provide everything from the mohel to preschools, camps, activities, food, etc. in those areas.

gryp

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 8:15 am

theres a Shluchim Office which usually sends the Shluchim out. but a Head Shliach of a certain area can also bring someone he knows down without going through the Shluchim Office.

there are usually a choice of a few places, and you decide which city would be best for you. the couple goes down to check out the city, have an interview with a board if they want to hire them as Rabbi, schoolteacher, etc.

Motek ↓

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 8:23 am

MMEC123 wrote:

Do the people decide for themselves, does someone ask them (you get the idea)?

The Rebbe expects all of his Chasidim to be shluchim in some form or another.

Quote:

theres a Shluchim Office which usually sends the Shluchim out. but a Head Shliach of a certain area can also bring someone he knows down without going through the Shluchim Office

And numerous shluchim pick up and start on their own, in India for example, where there are eight shluchim in various cities.

Key point - the word "shliach" means an emissary, someone who is sent. If someone is calling himself a Lubavitcher shliach, it means that he was sent by the Rebbe, that he works for the Rebbe, that he is battul to the Rebbe, and takes orders from the Rebbe. Otherwise, he is a "kiruv professional."

How does that work today? In various ways, primarily through consulting with mashpiim (spiritual mentors) because the Rebbe said that each person should appoint for him/herself a mashpia. And this will often include asking the Rebbe questions through the Igros Kodesh (see the thread on that topic in the Judaism section).

chocolate moose

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 8:58 am

AND they ask for a bracha!

Raisin

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 10:34 am

Merkos send out the Shluchim, and the Shluchim office is basically a placement system plus they provide lots of other services. There are also some "Shluchim" who go out on their own, not approved by Merkos.

The Rebbe set up a very strict system.

It seems that nowadays there are b'h lots of people who want to on Shlichus, but not enough places/money to support them.

ny21

Wed, Jul 19 2006, 8:39 am

How are they paid>?
do they get a salary?

↑ Motek

Thu, Jul 20 2006, 10:06 am

Rifky wrote:

Numerous shluchim go out on their own or are hired by other shluchim. Of course Merkos in N.Y. is involved with American shluchim as Israeli shluchim etc. work with other organizations.

Quote:

The Rebbe set up a very strict system.

The shluchim system is actually decentralized:

Quote:

Each Chabad emissary has his own budget, own board of trustees, own staff and buildings – with no legal and financial binding to anyone else. The Rebbe did not ask that each Chabad house be signed over as the property of ‘central headquarters,’ not even as co-owners, not even as ONE member on the board of trustees.

Obviously, shluchim all felt accountable to the Rebbe and would report to him on a timely basis. But this did not constitute legal and financial control and obligations (see the Rebbe’s letter cited below). The Rebbe could have easily required each shliach to bind his institution legally and financially to some central center, and every one would have absolutely and readily complied. Yet, he chose not to do that.

The question is: why? With such decentralization how did the Rebbe foresee quality control being maintained?

... the Rebbe did not appoint a hierarchy of leaders, “leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties and leaders of tens” as Yisro suggested.

This does not mean that a shliach has no accountability, G-d forbid. He has direct accountability to the Rebbe himself, to Torah – to G-d. No one is perfect. And in order to protect against human error, the Rebbe trained his Chassidim to know that they have to answer for every move they make – they must consult Torah, Shulchan Aruch and competent Rabbis. They each need to fulfill the directive “Provide for yourself a teacher” (Avot 1:6), consulting a senior Chassid and the likes. In addition, the Rebbe designated a loose umbrella that would coordinate shlichus activities and provide a platform where shluchim could interact, benefit and strengthen each other (“each will help his neighbor, and tell his brother: be strong”) – but all in an advisory role.

full article:

http://www.meaningfullife.com/.....n.php

If they break new ground, they have to fundraise. If they are hired by others, they get a salary. Sometimes a shliach is a rav hired by a community.