Abe Biderman @ 2011 Colel Chabad Dinner

Thank you, Speaker Silver, Mayor Booker, Mayor Lazri, fellow honores, and dear friends of Kalabad. I'm very reluctant to be standing here. I do not feel I have done for Kalabad enough to deserve this honor. But as most of you probably realize by now, it is impossible to say no to Rabbi Dukman. My wife Sarah and I go back with the Dukeman family a very long time. And I'll tell you an incident that most of you wouldn't know, probably only a handful of those people in this room. And it stands out in my mind, especially as we look at Shalom Duffman's future accomplishments. In the kidic world, it is a custom that mitzvah boy is not permitted to complete his his speech because there are many who are just not competent to do so. And so it's not to embarrass them. Most children are interrupted right after they start. And most 13-year-olds accept this custom with glee. After all, gets them off the hook. But not shalom. At Shalom Mitzvah, when the children started to sing, he started to cry hysterically. He was determined to deliver that speech and no matter how much the singing went on that he was not deterred and he completed it. We should have realized right then and there that here is a man who would let no obstacle stand in his way. His determination even at a young age was legendary and his accomplishments to date even more so. Most of us when accosted by somebody in need, somebody who needs our help will open our hearts and our wallets. Shalom does more than that. He doesn't wait to be approached by the needy. Like our forefather Abraham, he proactively searches them out and is constantly identifying new ways to better their lives. Whether it's food packages, holiday closing vouchers, interestf free loans, career counseling, youth clubs, camp scholarships, dental clinics, and so much more. Schol is always looking to see what more he can do to help the unfortunate. And he knows full well that these obligations will further increase his already incredible schedule. Those of you who know, he's I don't think he ever stays in one neighborhood more than one night. and forever increases the financial burdens on him and the amounts of money that he has to raise. But no obstacle stands in the way of Kalabad for caring for those in need from proactively ensuring that the poor are provided for the needy comforted and the unfortunate uplifted. I recently read a description about Steve Jobs. He created objects that we never thought we needed and now we cannot live without them. I was thinking about this when I thought about Cholum. I think it's the opposite in his case. He looked at needs that we never thought we could meet and declared that we cannot live with them. We will overcome those needs. Even though people are used to poverty and used to despair, we will overcome them. We cannot live with them. And certainly we have adoptly so much in fighting to eliminate the needy and helping them. The Talmud states that the world stands on three pillars. The pillar of Torah, learning the Torah and following its precepts. The pillar of avoda, serving God through prayer and meditation. And the pillar of gamasim, the pillar of helping one's fellow man. People interpret Gamil as charity, but it's much more than that. It is the art of caring for one's fellow man, dealing with their distress, meeting with their physical needs, and giving hope when there is only despair. Kalaba does all this and does it in a way that gives the recipient dignity and the knowledge that there is somebody out there who cares in a world that seems uncaring. We are in a difficult financial environment today. No question about it. challenges across the world, the United States and Europe. But there's also no question that in the 2,000-year history of the diaspora, the Jewish people have never had the freedom and opportunity that we experience in this wonderful country. So, as we reflect on our own bounty, we should also be reflecting in whose merit have we been in granted these incredible opportunities that our forefathers would never even have dreamed of. And in my mind, the answer is obvious. The Tal already made it very clear. The pillar of caring for one's fellow man is what has granted us all these wonderful rewards that we experience today. So when we share our bounty with Kalabad, we are not really helping them. We are helping ourselves. We are ensuring our future as we provide one for the desparing. We are meriting good fortune as we pro as we provide for the unfortunate. We are strengthening the pillar on whose merit we enjoy all the wondrous abundance that surrounds us today. Kabad is not a charity. It is the pillar upon which our success is built and it is our success that is contingent on helping them. Thank you for coming. Thank you for listening and most of all, thank you so much for caring.