You Are a Leader!
Just hours before the launch of Israel's “Operation Rising Lions” targeting Iranian assets, a remarkable meeting took place in Jerusalem. Argentine President Javier Milei, visiting Israel on an official trip, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and presented him with a personal gift: a finely crafted drawing of Netanyahu meeting with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
The gift touched Netanyahu deeply. Visibly moved, he recalled his first encounter with the Rebbe in 1984, soon after he was appointed Israel's ambassador to the United Nations. “The Rebbe told me I was entering a 'House of Lies,'” Netanyahu remembered, referring to the UN. “But,” he added, “even in a hall of total darkness, if you light just one candle, its precious light will be seen far and wide.”
Netanyahu explained to Milei that the artwork depicted his final meeting with the Rebbe in 1988, at the conclusion of his UN tenure, just as he was entering the Knesset. “Surely, you will not be intimidated,” the Rebbe told him then, referring to the pressure Israeli politicians often face to compromise on the integrity and security of the Land of Israel. “Because G‑d is on this side.”
President Milei responded by sharing that during his own address to the UN General Assembly in September 2024, he had quoted the Rebbe's teachings from the dais. “He was a prophet,” Netanyahu remarked, and Milei nodded in agreement. “Profeta,” he said.
Later that day, Milei met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who warmly welcomed him. “The great Rebbe of Lubavitch said that the small actions we do on a daily basis can turn two people from being 'you and me' to being 'us,'” Herzog said.
To some, the Catholic president's admiration for the Rebbe might come as a surprise. But those familiar with Milei's journey understand his profound and enduring connection with Judaism and the Jewish people, rooted in his deep reverence for the Rebbe's teachings. Milei has frequently cited Torah values and wept openly at the Western Wall. His first trip abroad after being elected, prior to meeting with President Biden, was a visit to the Ohel, the Rebbe's resting place in New York—his fourth such visit. A previous visit—made just months before his election—saw the former media personality fly to the United States, pray at the Ohel and tour the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement at 770 Eastern Parkway.
The Rebbe's Influence Across the Political Spectrum
President Milei's story is far from unique. One notable story from American political history involves Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress in 1968. However, she soon found her congressional career stunted at its start by race-related politics. Bowing to political pressures from Southern politicians, the House's leadership assigned Chisholm to the Agriculture Committee, a place where it was assumed that she could have little influence.
Frustrated and discouraged, Chisholm received an unexpected call: “The Rebbe wants to see you.” During their meeting, the Rebbe offered a transformative perspective. “What a blessing G‑d has given you!” he told her. “This country has surplus food, and there are hungry people. Use this gift to feed them. Find a creative way.”
Soon after, Chisholm met Senator Bob Dole, who was struggling to support farmers. “We have all this extra food, and we don't know what to do with it,” he told her. Chisholm remembered the Rebbe's words—and a legislative alliance was born. Over the next few years, she helped launch and expand the national Food Stamp and WIC programs.
At her retirement party, Chisholm recalled, “If poor babies have milk, and poor children have food, it's because this Rabbi in Crown Heights had vision.”
Leadership, Legacy, and This Week's Torah Portion
The Rebbe's influence continues to shape the world, on both sides of the political aisle. Every year, the U.S. President signs a proclamation marking Education and Sharing Day in honor of the Rebbe. In Israel, members of the Knesset—coalition and opposition alike—gather annually to reflect on the Rebbe's legacy.
Just a few months ago, the Knesset unanimously approved a bill proposing the establishment of a heritage center honoring the Rebbe. In a notable statement, opposition leader MK Yair Lapid, who has often taken a secular stance, also voiced support for the bill. “For the sake of the Rebbe,” he said, adding that Chabad emissaries worldwide provide invaluable support to Jews everywhere, regardless of background.
Today, more than 5,000 Chabad emissaries serve in over 100 countries, from college campuses to Himalayan villages, helping individuals connect with their Jewish identity and divine potential. Whether it's providing a Shabbat meal to a backpacker in Thailand or shelter to a Ukrainian refugee, support for Israel hostage families, or Jewish education for a teen or university student, the Rebbe's vision is alive in every act of kindness inspired by his teachings.
In this week's Torah portion, Korach, we read of Korach's rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Korach was a relative of Moses and Aaron and challenged their leadership by saying, “You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above the Lord's assembly (Numbers 16:3)?”.
On the surface, his words may seem egalitarian. Yet the rebellion failed. Why?
The answer lies in the nature of true leadership. Yes, all Jews are inherently holy. But to express that holiness, we need a leader—like Moses—whose selfless soul encompasses the entire people, who can ignite the divine spark within each of us.
In a 1960 audience with a group of college students affiliated with Hillel, the Rebbe was asked: “What is the function of a Rebbe?” He responded with a metaphor. Just as an electric lamp needs to be connected to a power source through a switch, so too every soul is connected to G‑d, but the “switch” must be found and activated. The Rebbe's mission—and ours—is to help others discover that switch within themselves.
But leadership is not limited to great figures. In our homes, workplaces, and communities, each of us has a leadership role to play. True leadership is about empowering others, helping them bring out their own inner light.
As Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain would reflect on the Rebbe's impact on his life: “Good leaders create followers. Great leaders create leaders. That was the Rebbe's greatness. Not only did he lead, he was a source of leadership in others.”
The Rebbe Lives On
This Sunday marks the yahrzeit (anniversary of passing) of the Rebbe on the Third of Tammuz. The Talmud teaches, “Jacob did not die… just as his children are alive, so too is he alive” (Taanit 5b). The Rebbe's legacy is very much alive—seen in the revival of Jewish life after the Holocaust, reflected in the millions of Jews who are reconnecting to their Jewish heritage, and in the moral awakening of people across faiths through the Rebbe's call to disseminate the teachings of the Seven Noahide Laws relevant to all people.
From his very first public address, the Rebbe consistently emphasized the unique responsibility and opportunity of our generation. He empowered each individual to take personal initiative in bettering the world through increasing in Torah study, observance of mitzvot, and acts of kindness. The Rebbe taught that we are living in a time of extraordinary spiritual potential—the final generation of exile and the first of Redemption. He urged us to view world events not as random occurrences but as part of a divine process preparing the world for the coming of Moshiach.
In 1991, a CNN reporter asked the Rebbe, “What is your message to the world about Moshiach (the Messiah)?” The Rebbe replied:
“Moshiach is ready to come now. We all must only do something additional in the realm of goodness and kindness.”
The tools are in our hands; the mission is nearly complete. Now is the time to bring the vision to fruition.
