The Right “Gong”

Recently, we tried out a new gimmick in the old city.  The Hurva square downstairs is full of tourists, students and soldiers.  The level of noise is cacophonic, and it can be difficult to hear the person speaking next to you.  We needed a novel way of attracting attention to our tefilin stand.  We decided to try a Chinese gong.  We imported a gong from China, and it has begun to serve its purpose.  Until now, it was necessary to approach people individually to ask if they wished to don tefilin.  Now, the gong does the job.  Within a couple hours, several people hearing the gong approached to put on tefilin, including two who had never put on tefilin in their entire lives.  Speaking philosophically, a gong is not a mere piece of metal with which to make noise.  In Yiddish, “gong” means “a way of going,” a “path,” if you will.  So, when you hear the clang of the gong, the purpose is not only to put on tefilin.  It is also to usher you onto the right spiritual path.  Other than tefillin, that includes mitzvoth such as Shabbat, mentioned in our weekly Torah portion (Vayakhel).  You can cover all of that by going to our website at http://www.jerusalemconnection.org/weekly    If you are more philosophical and you like Jewish meditation and prayers, have a look at www.jewishspiritualbooks.com, and if you just want to know what’s going on in Jerusalem, check out www.chabadjerusalem.org   Have a great week!

Tags: Chabad, gong, Jerusalem, Jewish, meditation, Shabbat, spiritual, tefillin