Born in Flatbush, Rabbi Stone was educated in the Lubavitcher Yeshiva. He spent his childhood years in close proximity to 770 and was fortunate to be near the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s court, where he had the privilege of often attending the Rebbe’s farbrengens and other public gatherings, hearing firsthand the Rebbe’s call of the hour.
Being steeped in this sacred environment left an indelible impression on this young student, where he was inspired to heed the Rebbe’s passionate call to reach out to other Jews and share the joy of Yiddishkeit and the spiritual power of a Mitzvah opportunity. In Rabbinical school, he travelled to various parts of the globe, volunteering in the Rebbe’s Mitzvah Corps, reaching out to his fellow Jews in far flung places around the world to share some Jewish pride and touch their souls.
Following his marriage to Chani in 2001, the couple decided to enlist as permanent emissaries of the Rebbe and settled in the Lower East Side of Manhattan as the Rebbe’s shluchim in 2004.
As the Stone family grew and were blessed with 6 beautiful children, the work of reaching out to more and more fellow Yidden also grew. Shabbat Services, Hebrew School, Weekly adult education classes and lively holiday events are just some of the activities offered by the Stone family to their neighbors and friends and even strangers who Rabbi Stone happens to bump into on the street. People who pass him in the street on Shabbos are always greeted with a warm “Good Shabbos!” and an invitation to join him to wherever he may be going.
Rabbi Stone is widely known as one of the world’s foremost experts on spotting a Jew on the street and recruiting them to step into the Mitzvah tank to put on Tefillin or learn about lighting Shabbat candles. Often, he is asked, “How did you know I was Jewish?” but Rabbi Stone knows from years of experience how to spot a Jew. And when he is able to convince a Jew on the street to do a Mitzvah while “on the go” this gives him tremendous nachas – a type of spiritual pleasure unlike any other.
Spending time thinking about Torah education for both children and adults is something which Rabbi Stone has dedicated his life to. Not just thinking, but doing something about it. As those who know him can testify, he is a man of action. The Rebbe taught us the incalculable value of each and every Mitzvah and how each Mitzvah performed brings us one step closer to Moshiach and the final redemption. For Rabbi Stone, this is not just a theory or belief, but a reality which drives his work on a daily basis.
The Rebbe teaches us that the power of an individual is limitless. We each have tremendous potential that, if tapped, allows one to reach amazing heights. While we are celebrating the birthday of an individual, each of us can choose to increase our own efforts in Torah and Mitzvahs and acting as lamplighters to others, adding light to the world and transforming the darkness around us to light.