By Rabbi Levi Greenberg

Ten years ago, in the summer of 2014, bestselling author Joseph Telushkin came to El Paso for an event at the University of Texas at El Paso promoting his newest New York Times bestselling biography: “Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, The Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History.” Over 400 people attended the lecture and he spent the evening reflecting on how his life had been enriched in the five years he researched the Rebbe’s vast teachings and remarkable life.

Over dinner following the lecture, I shared my favorite passage from the book with him. In the chapter entitled “Leadership After Life,” Telushkin noted that after the Rebbe’s passing Chabad had grown — and continues to grow — exponentially, a phenomenon that defies all predictions. He concluded: “The secret of Chabad’s growth since the Rebbe’s death is the secret of its growth during the Rebbe’s life: the Rebbe himself.”

He appreciated that I noticed it.

I was 8 years old when the Rebbe passed away in the summer of 1994. We traveled as a family to New York to participate in the enormous funeral. I vividly remember the mood. It was devastating. 

Later, I learned the pundits at the time predicted the demise of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. The movement that emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust and Communist religious persecution and blossomed into an empire of global influence in every aspect of Jewish life will not survive in the absence of its dynamic leader, they said.

The exact opposite occurred. Two days later we returned home and my parents continued their work. In 1986, the Rebbe sent them to El Paso to establish a permanent Chabad presence, to strengthen Jewish awareness and engagement, and to share Judaism’s global message with everyone in town. As a child, I was keenly aware of the Rebbe’s all-encompassing influence in our lives – which only intensified over time.

I’m not unique. Thousands of children my age shared the same experience. Thirty years later, the 8-year-olds of 1994 have joined the global Chabad network which has tripled in size since that fateful day, and are proudly raising their children under the Rebbe’s influence. 

During this time, Chabad families have moved to places previously unimagined and transformed spiritual wastelands into thriving Jewish communities. When you ask them why they do it, the answer is the same, even if they were born after 1994: the Rebbe.

But the families living out in the boondocks are just extreme examples of a phenomenon happening everywhere. Lives are changing and the world is becoming a better place every day because of the Rebbe’s influence.

This influence is not only due to the timelessness of his lessons and guidance, which continues to enlighten millions and enrich their lives. According to Jewish tradition, even after the passing of our righteous leaders, their presence continues to be felt in the physical world just as during their lifetimes. Their presence can be accessed and felt through learning their teachings, visiting their graves, and joining their mission.

The Rebbe’s mission can be summed up with the teaching he often quoted from the famous 12th-century Jewish leader, philosopher, physician, and scholar, known as Maimonides, who declared that we must all view ourselves and the world as an equally balanced scale of good and bad. 

One single good deed that one individual does can tip the scales for the entire world to usher in an era of eternal peace and tranquility. Both Maimonides and the Rebbe encountered the worst our world has to offer, yet they firmly believed and taught that it can all change for the better and everyone can be a part of that process.

It was never a secret. The growth of Chabad is the inevitable result of the Rebbe’s continued presence in our world. It guides our path of encouraging every person to increase their acts of goodness and kindness, with the awareness that they make tangible change in the world.

Tuesday, July 9, marks 30 years since the Rebbe’s passing. I encourage you to learn more about the Rebbe, his teachings, energy, and inspiration. 

I highly recommend visiting TheRebbe.org and reading Telushkin’s book “Rebbe” available in print and audio. Most importantly, please consider doing an extra good deed and encouraging others to do the same, thus joining the Rebbe’s mission to accelerate the realization of an era of true world peace and tranquility for all.

Levi Greenberg is associate rabbi at Chabad of El Paso.