Version Colors
The Message Is Global. The Messenger Isn’t.
A case study in how delivery can quietly undermine even the most powerful ideas
Rabbi Elkana Shmotkin, CEO of GEM, recently released the third installment in his Enduring Peace video series. The project is ambitious and sincere: to broaden the Rebbe’s message beyond the Jewish world and present it as a universal moral vision rooted in Torah and expressed through the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
The newest video introduces the concept of 3-2-9, referencing Siman 329 of Shulchan Aruch, which deals with life, danger, and moral responsibility. The idea itself is powerful. The intention is noble. But the execution raises a critical question:
Who is this actually reaching?
The Core Problem Isn’t the Message — It’s the Messenger
When a rabbi speaks on Torah, Jews listen.
When a Chabad shliach explains the Rebbe’s worldview, Chassidim lean in.
But when the stated goal is global — when the target audience is not already Jewish, not already observant, not already familiar with Chabad — the rules change.
To someone outside that world, Rabbi Shmotkin is not a recognized authority. He is not a public intellectual. He is not a political figure. He is not a cultural voice they already trust or follow.
So the question becomes brutally simple:
Why would someone who doesn’t know him press play?
Global Ideas Require Global Voices
If the goal is to take a Torah concept and present it as a universal framework for peace, morality, or human responsibility, then the messenger must already live in that global space.
That doesn’t mean abandoning Torah authenticity. It means translating it through credibility.
A respected Israeli political figure
A well-known American leader
A globally recognized thinker
A voice that already carries weight outside the Jewish ecosystem
These are the kinds of messengers who can introduce a Torah-rooted idea to the world without the audience first needing to care about who Chabad is, who the Rebbe was, or why a rabbi is speaking to them.
Right now, the content is asking too much of the viewer upfront.
Outreach Isn’t About Sincerity — It’s About Friction
Outreach fails when it places friction before value.
For a Jewish viewer, there is no friction:
They understand the language
They recognize the references
They already respect the source
For a non-Jewish viewer, the friction is immediate:
Who is this person?
Why should I trust him?
Why is a rabbi explaining global morality to me?
Before the message even begins, the audience is already deciding whether to leave.
That’s not a theological problem.
That’s a media problem.
The Rebbe Thought in Terms of Impact
The irony is that this concern aligns deeply with the Rebbe’s own approach. The Rebbe consistently emphasized whodelivers a message and how it lands — not just whether it is true.
If the idea of 3-2-9 is meant to influence global thinking, then it must be spoken in a voice the world already listens to.
Rabbi Shmotkin may be the architect of the idea.
He does not need to be the narrator.
A Missed Opportunity — Not a Failed One
This is not a critique of effort, intention, or sincerity. It is a critique of strategy.
The content is strong.
The concept is compelling.
The ambition is correct.
But the messenger limits the reach.
If Enduring Peace is meant to endure beyond the Jewish world, then the next evolution is clear: separate authorship from delivery.
Let the Torah remain Torah.
Let the Rebbe remain the source.
But let the voice belong to someone the world is already listening to.
That’s how ideas travel.
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