As in the times of Mordechai, the leader of the generation in Persia who prevented the annihilation of the Jewish people, so to in our times we have a towering Jewish leader, that by adhering to his guidance will we be able prevent the evil intent to destroy the People and Land of Israel.
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| A Mitzva Tank on Fifth Avenue |
It once happened that a group of Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva boys drove out on a mitzva tank [a converted truck] driving around New York city campaigning to meet up with Jewish people as yet unafiliated with Jewish observance to encourage them to become more involved. This took place on Purim.
Later, when they returned they wrote in a report of their activities to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, that they had met up with a group of Jewish children and told them of the activities of Mordechai the Jew - the great Jewish leader of those times as recorded in the book of Esther [read in the synagogue every Purim], how Mordechai had saved the lives of the entire Jewish population of Babylon at that time from the decree of annihilation enacted by Haman, by studying Torah specifically with huge gathering of thousands of Jewish children.
One of the children whom these yeshiva boys encountered asked if today also there is such a great leader in our generation who parallels Mordechai of those days. The yeshiva boys answered that indeed today also there is the great Jewish leader of our generation, who resides in Brooklyn, at 770 Eastern Parkway, from where he is actively concerned for all people of our generation.
After a few days the Rabbinical assistant to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Dovid Raskin, called the boys in and told them that indeed, the Rebbe had read through their report which they had given in and had asked: “Is there no photograph of this leader in their Mitzva tank to show the child who had posed the question, who this actually is?
