Chabad is a Hebrew word that means wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Though pronounced ‘habaad’, the word appears almost akin to our Shabad, which our spiritual masters explain as the Word of God.

 I came to know about Chabad House only when it was attacked by the terrorists in Nariman House in Bombay, killing six Israeli Jews

 A Chabad house is a kind of guest/rest house for the Jews. There are around 2200 such locations worldwide.

There is one at Paharganj in Delhi as well.

 It is a home away from home for the Jews, their gateaway. Israeli tourists visit this house whenever they stop in Delhi on their way to Goa, Dharamshala or Pushkar in Rajasthan.

Here they pray, eat and rest together.  Chabad House has a prayer hall and a cupboard that contains the sacred Torah scroll, the  ‘core representation of the Judaism itself’.

You are not allowed to touch it.There are only 10 Jewish families and one synagogue in Delhi, besides this Chabad House. They appear to be ‘endangered species’. We should guard them zealously.