Chabad on Campus runs a Summer Grand Draw each year (it ends this July 15th, 2026) and each year we like to come up with our own tagline or theme.

Given that Chabad on Campus calls it a “Grand Draw” we thought of “Drawn Together” as working to draw people in and helping draw people together is a big part of what we do at Shabbos House.

Before getting to the very helpful $36 tickets, (see below) – a few thoughts on this highly versatile multi-meaning word of “Draw” with a long list of definitions (see Merriam-Webster on “Draw”): You can draw a picture or draw a line in the sand, draw up a chair or draw a card, draw comparisons or draw a conclusion, you can draw lots, and we speak of being drawn to light, drawn to honey, drawn together etc. The word’s meaning varies (slightly) in all of these uses.

It seems that the original etymology of (the many uses of) this word is: pull: extract, or attract. It probably started with drawing a sword. Pull can be both extracting as in with force, or attracting as in a tug or appeal.

It happens that we went down this rabbit hole into the meanings of the word draw on the very day when the “daily study” of the weekly Parsha of Pinchas speaks of Moshe requesting of G-d to appoint his successor to lead the Jewish people.

One of the criteria/job-descriptions that Moshe asked for in a leader is: “One who will take them out, and who will bring them in.” Good leadership is movement in both directions. Like the dictionary’s two definitions of the pull in the word draw: to extract and to attract.

We were on the road and I was discussing this with Raizy in the front of the car. These two pull definitions: extract and attract can explain most uses of the word DRAW. But how does it explain the most commonly used application: drawing (illustrating) a picture?

Rivka, our youngest, was in the back seat. She piped up and said: “Drawing is like taking out an idea from being an abstract concept and getting it down to reality on paper…” (Wow – that was quite something for her to say!)

So now that we have a better understanding of this simple but complex word DRAW, thinking of how all this can be relevant to our efforts in drawing students together at UAlbany… the pulling out and the pulling in, extracting and attracting, the type of leadership that Moshe spoke of in Parsha Pinchas: “that will take them out and bring them in…”

Now back to the the tickets:

Each $36 raffle ticket or multiples thereof, helps us do what it takes to draw Jewish students in and draw them together as a campus community.

This raffle campaign is very beneficial as all prizes are sponsored by Chabad on Campus, but all funds via tinyurl.com/SHRaffle2026 go directly to Shabbos House. Not only is 36 an auspicious Jewish number, it’s also a feasible and accessible amount for many. And there’s a win-win chance for everyone, certainly the mitzvah aspect!

May we share good news of your raffle winnings (Grand Prize $18K, first prize: 2 tickets to Israel, 3rd prize $1,800. 4th prize $1,000 and so on – there are even more than the 2x $500 prizes listed) but even more so, wishing even better good news: personal news, happy tidings, may each and all of us have (and realize that we have) an overabundance of blessing!