One year on Chai Elul, Rabbi Avrohom Mann of Or Hachassidus was selling Sifrei Chassidus in Monsey, when a man came over to him and said, “I am a descendant of the Alter Rebbe!” But what he said next was shocking. 

One year on Chai Elul, the day marking the birthdays of the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Mann of Or Hachassidus was selling Sifrei Chassidus in Monsey, when a man came over to him and said, “I am a descendant of the Alter Rebbe!” But what he said next was shocking. 

“I was at the Or HaChaim beis midrash in Monsey,” Rabbi Mann recalled. “An elderly Yid approached me and I asked him if he knew what Chai Elul is. I explained to him that it’s the birthday of both the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe.”

The man paused, then surprised him. “He said to me, ‘Do you know that I’m a descendant of the Alter Rebbe?’” Rabbi Mann recounted. “I asked him if he ever learned Tanya. He said no, he had never opened a Tanya in his life.”

Right there, the man made a decision. He bought a Tanya from Rabbi Mann and began learning.

“That’s what Chai Elul is about,” Rabbi Mann says. “The Rebbe taught that these days should be used to spread Chassidus. There are so many Yidden just waiting for someone to approach them. This is the opportunity to be part of it, to fulfill the Rebbe’s directive to expand the wellsprings of Chassidus.”

Or Hachassidus is marking Chai Elul by launching its 12th Annual Bayis Raffle, a campaign that fuels its mission of revolutionizing how Chassidus is shared—through publications, events, and the Baderech Seforim Mobiles that bring the light of Chassidus directly to communities across the tri-state area.

By participating, supporters not only partner in this vital work but also enter to win a life-changing prize: their mortgage or rent covered from Rosh Hashanah through Hey Teves.

This year, Or Hachassidus is offering exciting bonus gifts for donors:

• $36 – 1 ticket
• $75 – 2 tickets + FREE Lehachlif Mishkafayim (new!)
• $100 – 4 tickets + FREE LightPoints (new edition!)
• $180 – 8 tickets + FREE Peninim al HaTorah set
• $360 – 20 tickets + FREE Peninim al HaTorah set + LightPoints + Lehachlif Mishkafayim
• $770 – 50 tickets + FREE full Or HaChassidus set (18 volumes!)
• $1,800 – 150 tickets + FREE dollar from the Rebbe

“Don’t wait,” Rabbi Mann urged. “This is your chance to help bring the light of Chassidus to another Yid, and maybe, just maybe, your mortgage worries will disappear this Tishrei.”