Happy 70th Birthday Abba


My father recently had his 70th Birthday. We were up in LA to celebrate with him.

I want to publicly wish him a happy birthday, and as we Jewishly say, until 120 years of happy birthdays with health, wealth and nachas from the entire family.

In his honor, I’d like to share a message, which hopefully is relevant for all of us.

Pirkei Avos lists different age milestones, starting with “five years to start reading Torah… thirteen to mitzvos (Bar mitzvah)… twenty to hustle (job)… sixty to “old age” and seventy to “ripe old age” (שיבה in Hebrew)…”

Commentaries on the mishna explain that seventy is the age at which King David passed away. King David was an accomplished man. He didn’t die early (even if 70 is young in todays standards). He lived to a ripe old age, and was able to enjoy witnessing the fruit of his labor.

On the Rebbe’s 70th birthday, the Rebbe spoke at length about the waste of retirement. People had asked the Rebbe if he would start slowing down and taking it easy as he reaches this milestone. Instead, he spoke about increasing his work drastically.

The Rebbe requested that in honor of his 70th birthday (or beginning of 71st year of life), that 71 new Chabad organizations should open. Today, 71 new Chabad organizations in one year would be a joke. I think 134 opened in this past Covid year alone, without a special push.

Looking back, the growth of Chabad, and the mission of the Rebbe grew astronomically after his 70th birthday. It was as if it was a whole new mission with a whole new goal.

Actually, it wasn’t a new goal. It may have been a new mission, and the scale changed drastically, but the goal, and the Rebbe’s stated life mission was always the same, “to reach every Jew in every place in a way that G-d’s name is called out from that very place”.

What does this have to do with all of us who aren’t celebrating our 70th birthday?

Perhaps, the message is that each of us have a mission.

What is your mission, and where are you holding with it? (Hopefully your mission is more than merely having a certain dollar amount in the bank).

By the age of 70, you should already be at a “ripe old age” and seeing the fruits of your labor (as the Rebbe did).

But instead of slowing down, and relaxing to enjoy those fruits, you can double down, and accomplish much more.

Happy Birthday Abba, and may you enjoy seeing the fruits of your labor, but double down and triple or even quadruple your efforts to fulfill your life’s mission.



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