Rabbi Yaakov Raskin | March 29 proclaimed Education and Sharing Day

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, when communities in the Western parishes were cut off, homeless families were sleeping outdoors, and the roads were barely passable, stories of hope and kindness began emerging.

One story that really touched me was about Shaggy.

He was in Miami when Melissa made landfall. Before the storm even cleared, he began making calls, purchasing supplies, and arranging for private planes. As soon as the airport reopened on October 30, he coordinated four flights carrying essential supplies, water bottles, canned food, and other basics. As soon as he arrived, he went toward Black River and St. Elizabeth, areas which were overlooked by some of the bigger organisations.

Shaggy and his team drove for over six hours in the pitch black, chopping tree limbs, moving debris, and driving through floodwater to get to Black River. For several days, he handed out food, clothing and water to people who had no homes.

In a Rolling Stones Interview, he shared how it wasn’t even a thought for him whether he should come or not. He said if there were families sleeping on the street, he couldn't stay home while that was happening.

This story captures the Jamaican spirit perfectly.

In a 2025 World Happiness Report, Jamaica was ranked as #1 in the world for helping strangers, and having resided here for the past 11 years, there have been countless instances where random people have helped me change a flat tire, give me directions, or assist me when I needed it.

This sense of kindness is something which can’t be taught in schools, but is so critical to teach our younger generation. It is the focus of Education and Sharing Day, which Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen has proclaimed for Jamaica on March 29.

The United States has observed Education and Sharing Day annually since 1978.

RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON

This day honors the importance of moral and ethical education, as well as the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who, throughout his decades of work, championed the idea that the true purpose of education is to develop not just the mind but the moral foundation of a person.

So who was the Rebbe and why does his birthday proclaimed Education and Sharing Day for the past half century?

The Rebbe was born in 1902 in Mykoliav, Ukraine. After fleeing the oppressive Soviet regime, he attended university in Berlin and later Paris. He held degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering from the Sorbonne. Later, when the Nazis came to power, he relocated to Brooklyn, NY.

While he is best known as an influential rabbi who built a worldwide network of thousands of emissaries, he also had a tremendous impact in many other areas. He answered letters from heads of state and from people from all walks of life searching for guidance.

His reach extended well beyond the Jewish world. Prime ministers of Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and South Africa sought him out. Israel's prime ministers consulted him before major decisions.

King Hassan II of Morocco, upon learning of his connection to one of the Rebbe's emissaries, said: "The Lubavitch rabbis are very important people. Make sure to take good care of them." Historians of modern Jewish life consider the Rebbe the most influential rabbi of the twentieth century. His 2014 biography by Joseph Telushkin, ‘Rebbe’, made the NY Times Bestseller list.

When the moral fabric of America began to decay starting in the 1960s, the Rebbe believed that the solution was education. He saw that kids who excelled in academics – science, math, history, and literature – also needed morals, values and good behaviour.

As a refugee from the Nazis, he experienced this first hand. He had watched the Holocaust and noted that the men who designed and administered it were highly educated engineers, doctors, and senior state administrators. Their education had given them expertise, but lacked a genuine understanding of how to use their knowledge for the good.

He believed if you fill a child's mind with knowledge and skills but never teach them that their actions carry moral weight or that something greater than their own sense of judgment defines what is right, then you haven’t truly educated them.

That’s the message of Education and Sharing Day: that we have a responsibility not only to ourselves, but to everyone around us.

THE RIGHT SPIRITUAL AND MORAL EDUCATION

The Governor-General's proclamation this year says: "Education should not be limited to the acquisition of knowledge, and must pay more attention to the building of character, with emphasis on moral and ethical values."

Just like a plant grows when it has proper water and nutrients, our children thrive when they have the right spiritual and moral education. When we teach them from an early age the importance of kindness, of generosity, and of their accountability to a Creator who watches and takes account of their actions, these will help guide our children down the right path, ensuring that they live ethically sound lives as they grow up.

Let’s use this Education and Sharing Day to reflect on how we want to make the world a better place and which values we want to pass on to our children.

Start with something simple – share an act of kindness, give a dollar to someone in need, teach something meaningful to a neighbor or a friend.

This theme of transmitting values to our children is also contained in the holiday of Passover, which comes just four days after Education and Sharing Day.

May this Passover be a time of true freedom and may we merit to see a world filled with peace, purpose, and redemption.

One Love. One Light.

Rabbi Yaakov Raskin is the director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Jamaica and the ARK Centre, located on the Hip Strip in Montego Bay. To learn more about Education and Sharing Day, visit Jewishjamaica.com/EducationDay.