Before starting college, I had been going to Chabad in my hometown for quite sometime. My family and I would drive about an hour into downtown Houston to attend weekly classes led by Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff. These classes were focused around the main themes and lessons from that week’s Torah Portion. To be honest, at first, I was not a big fan, but luckily after a while, I began enjoying the classes and I came to see Rabbi Chaim as an engaging individual who was at some times down right hilarious.
Since those first lessons, years ago, my family has made it a priority to visit the Chabad house on every one of our family vacations. One of my favorite times was when we went to the Chabad house in Albuquerque, New Mexico for Purim.
My first event at Chabad at UT was Chillin' and Grillin', the annual bar-b-q at the beginning of the school year. During my first meeting with Rabbi Zev, he told me about the various programs that Chabad at UT has, including: Pizza and Parsha and weekly Shabbat services and dinner. I was thrilled by the idea of having a reliable Shabbat service so close to my new home --- add in the free home cooked gourmet kosher meal and I was hooked!
After that first encounter with Rabbi Zev and his family, Chabad became a second home for me. Whether it was the middle of the day or late at night, Rabbi Zev was always there. There have been many times when I have wanted to fulfill the Mitzvah of wrapping tefillin and Rabbi Zev has always made sure to be there in order to allow me the opportunity to fulfill this important Mitzvah.
I am often asked, "What is so special about Chabad?" And until just recently I would struggle with sharing the right answer. However, I saw that the Chabad house at Texas A&M (Hook Em!) posted a picture on their Facebook that listed the top 10 reasons students enjoy Chabad. Number four stood out to me because it said, “the Rabbi and Rebbetzin are some of my closest friends.” I have grown so close with Rabbi Zev and his family throughout my time at the University of Texas and I can most definitely relate to this point. However out of all the many great reasons listed, number one is by far the best reason to explain my involvement in Chabad. There is no other way to describe it than by saying that Chabad feels like home. All the friends I have made and will continue to make as well as the memories I have that will last me a lifetime both make Chabad at UT my second home here at the University of Texas. It is truly one of the highlights of my college experience.
Sincerely,
Daniel Kasoff
Daniel Kasoff is a senior on the Chabad Executive Board.