Two Dollars, Aliyah and a Mission of Love

Some blessings take years to fully appreciate. Each year on this Hebrew date of the 7th of Cheshvan which started this motzei Shabbat (October 17, 2026) is the anniversary of a major event in my life!

On Sunday, November 5, 1989, the 7th of Cheshvan 5750, thanks to the kindness and encouragement of Rabbi Yosef and Rebbetzin Miriam Gopin of Chabad of West Hartford, I traveled from West Hartford, Connecticut, to Crown Heights for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive a dollar and blessing from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, z”l .

For readers unfamiliar with this remarkable tradition, Chabad’s history of Sunday Dollars and this video of the Rebbe distributing dollars capture its significance.

I had come with a particular request. Yet to my amazement, the Rebbe called me back and handed me TWO dollars instead of the customary one!

I left bewildered, but Rebbetzin Miriam Gopin, who accompanied me, assured me that I had received a very special bracha.

My Own Lech Lecha

Only years later, after making aliyah, did I begin connecting the dots. The Lubavitcher Rebbe was giving me a bracha for our aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. And the connection to the Torah portion of that week  Lech Lecha (which is the same as this coming week’s portion), which recounts Hashem’s command to Avraham and Sarah to leave their homeland for Eretz Yisrael, was in fact my own start to a new journey.

At the time, aliyah was not even on my radar!

Yet here I am, privileged to live in Israel, with grandchildren born in Jerusalem, and a mission I could never have imagined that Sunday in Crown Heights.

My hakarat hatov (profound appreciation) to the Rebbe, z”l, and to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Gopin for making that encounter possible remains immeasurable.

From Blessing to Purpose

The Rebbe’s inspiration also became a catalyst for establishing our Israeli nonprofit, Together in Happiness (B’Yachad B’Osher), dedicated to strengthening Jewish marriages through education and enrichment. We accomplish this mission with numerous resources including webinars and online initiatives and our recent “baby” is the launching of a podcast series.

The Birth of a Podcast

We have just launched our new podcast series, Building Jewish Marriages with Susan Barth, bringing Jewish wisdom and practical marriage skills directly into Jewish homes.

Check out our latest Episode 9 – Is Your Marriage Prepared for Life’s Turbulence? All on the Building Jewish Marriages Podcast.

In this episode, lessons are drawn from the extraordinary events aboard Flydubai Flight 1073 to explore how couples can prepare their marriages for life’s unexpected challenges and turbulence.

All of the podcasts are available on all platforms. and viewers are invited to listen to this Episode 9  and our other podcasts with important tips and messages how to improve and build a great marriage!

Here is the link to the website and to the podcasts:

https://together-in-happiness.com/podcast/

The Blessing Continues and a Question for All Jewish couples

Looking back on that extraordinary encounter, I am reminded that gratitude is not only appreciating the blessings we receive, but also what we choose to do with them.

For me, that means continuing to help Jewish couples strengthen their love, harmony and commitment.

For every married couple, perhaps it begins with a simple question:

Have I expressed gratitude to my spouse today, and what can I do to make our marriage even more loving tomorrow?

From the Rebbe’s dollar line to our own homes, the journey continues—with gratitude, purpose and love.

I still treasure those original TWO dollars, and the blessings they represent continue to multiply in ways I could never have anticipated.

May we all merit to transform our blessings into acts of love and kindness, strengthening our marriages, families and Jewish communities.

Shavua tov