What's a nice rabbi like you doing in a neighborhood like this? one might ask Rav Meir Chai Benhiyoun.
Down the street and around the corner from some of Chicago's most popular and hard-rocking discos and watering holes, just paces from the corner of Division and Dearborn near Rush Street, stands what's known in the Jewish education trade as a Chabad House.
It is here at 1236 N. Dearborn in a 3-story picturesque brownstone that the rabbi and his rebbetzin, father and mother of a large flock of Chaddishe children and teachers of dozens, have held forth for some 9 years, teaching about and keeping to both the strict letter of Jewish law and its mystical dimension.
People come to the Chicago Chabad House, one of the thousands of outposts established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in the worldwide Lubavitch Chabad educational and outreach dynasty, to do everything Jews do at a synagogue and learning institution -- and more. They observe and learn how to keep the Jewish festivals and Shabbos, learn how to pray, receive personal and marriage counseling, attend classes on law and the hidden aspects of Torah and periodically engage in what's known as a farbrengen. That's Yiddish for "joyous gathering" where more formal rituals and learning give way to a less formal stream of song, story and refreshment led by the rabbi or guest rabbis.
Rabbi Benhiyoun, despite the distracting nature of the surroundings, is known for his ability to pull students to the depth of their Holy cores with his mastery and a very personalized rendering of the esoteric dimensions of the Torah -- Kabballah and Chassidus.
If interested in a taste of some of the deepest and most penetrating Judaism one could ever experience, consider attending Rabbi Benhiyoun's 20-year-old Tuesday night Chassidus and Kabballah class. Before settling in the current location, the rabbi and his following inhabited a Lincoln Park brownstone for some 10 years, where the class first gained great popularity. It was launched in 1988 at his administrative headquarters and synagogue at 401 S. LaSalle. The class, known as the Tanya class, named for the foundational Chabad work published in 1797 that it is based on, is guaranteed to sweep one off his feet and likely with a desire to return for more. Jews and an occasional non-Jew have been attending the class for years, with both genders invited and welcome.
Class begins around 8 p.m. every Tuesday night and ends around 9:30 p.m. followed by an evening prayer service. Brace yourself for a personal change opportunity and a strong dose of revelation.
Call (312) 427-7770 or e-mail chabad@centerforjewishlife.com to inquire about whether the class is being held and not cancelled due to a holiday schedule or other organizational activity.
more info Learn more about Chabad and its teachings
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