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How this Journey Began...
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Alef Beis by Rifka Siegel
11.25 x 9.75 in., woodcut 1978 (black and white)
The Beginning
T he first time I came to Crown Heights was in 2003. A massive snowstorm had paralyzed the city and I was caught in it…just before Shabbos. I was living in Florida then, really unprepared for the snow, but much less prepared for how, in a matter of a weekend, my whole life would change.
On Shavuot, a year later (2004) to the chagrin of many, I left my beautiful home, sunny Florida, a comfortable life, a well established Voice Studio, many wonderful students and friends and moved to Montgomery Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY.
Why Shavuot? Hashgacha Ha Pratit…really not coincidental…
I wanted to receive my own personal Torah at 770…The Rebbe’s Shul.
The body of work in this book represents a good deal of my writings over the past three and half years. It actually begins a few months before that first snowy Shabbos with ‘Time Travel’, an incredibly important illumination. It was written a week before my actual visit – in mid-air, on the way to New York. Time Travel revealed without my knowing, what would occur to me after I visited the Rebbe’s study.
Here I share with you my deepest feelings, my prayers and dreams, moments of great importance, of happiness and pain, published poems and articles, speeches …all documenting this most important time of transformation in my life. I have included some of my Artworks and that of a few major Chassidic Artists living in Crown Heights. I love their art and respect them greatly and hope that you find as much inspiration in their works as I do. I am proud to call them my friends.
Nothing can ever compare to the growth and extraordinary learning this community offers, giving me ample opportunity to quench the thirst for Yiddishkeit that has engulfed my life since early childhood. I walk down the streets and am in constant conversation with my Rebbe who has become the center column of my life. I love this place, it’s people, the children, the houses…I love Shabbos and my Beis Levy Yitzchak Shul…I love my friends, their families – I just love being here.
My home/studio are on Lefferts Avenue and students come here to study with me from all over the world. They come to learn about the Voice and in the process learn about "Lubavtisch"…both intricate, inseparable parts of who I am.
"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable onto you, My Lord and My Redeemer"
…And may YOU, who share my world and read my words, also share a glimpse into my soul and be a part of its extraordinary journey in this lifetime.
The chronological order of this book selects the subtle, yet extraordinary changes in my subjective consciousness and reveals the very personal, ever-growing need for deep and profound learning and immersion in Yiddishkeit. Every day, every moment is an excursion into the reflective recesses of my soul and with every instant the spectrum of my being changes and revitalizes.
I pray for Hashem’s Guidance in all things, for Wisdom, Insight and Perception, for His Blessings, to fulfill, with His help, the mission He has designated for my life. Amen.
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