Editor's note: At our recent Farewell BBQ, Tatum Stein shared her thoughts on the remarkable impact Chabad at ASU has with students at ASU. The following is a transcript of her speech.
I find it hard to put down how I feel down on paper, so I found a story that will help you understand what Chabad means to me.
This story talks about a king who has his crown jewels stolen and scattered around the world by barbarian hordes. With no help from his counsel, the king seeks advice from his daughter, who decides to train pigeons to fly to distant lands and fetch his beloved jewels.
“Each day they would release the pigeons in the pastures about the palace, and some would discover the jewels scattered about and return them to their home. And the king was glad and smiled to his daughter.
Then the king’s daughter sent them further away, and again they returned, carrying a few more of the jewels her father had lost. As far away as they were sent, they hastily returned.
But the most valuable jewels, those in the most distant lands and most hidden places, those jewels had not yet been recovered. The pigeons did not venture far enough to find them—they were too eager to return home.”
The king knew what he must do. One day when the pigeons were out, the king burned down his palace, leaving no trace of the pigeons’ home. Until the most adventurous of the pigeons traveled far abroad and found other palaces, and in those palaces they found hidden the king’s most precious jewels, and gathered them and polished them and kept them in their wings.
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As I read this story, I see myself as one of those pigeons. As many of you know, I grew up going to a conservative temple. I loved being Jewish and identified myself as such. But I was comfortable. I celebrated the main holidays, had a bat mitzvah, and traveled to Israel on birthright, but I didn’t go much further than that. Anytime I ventured out, I returned hastily back, eager to be in my comfort zone. It wasn’t until Chabad that I was challenged to seek the most precious jewels – the jewels Judaism has to offer us in our daily lives. Now I find myself challenging my comfort zone so that I participate in Shabbat, I try to eat kosher, and I seek more knowledge about the Torah, Jewish mysticm, and my place in the world as a Jew. It is only through these daily challenges and long term goals that I have been able to find the most precious jewels and it’s all thanks to Chabad.
ASJEWs of 2012, go out and find the gems of Judaism. I challenge you!
MAZEL TOV!