The Rebbe

Calling the Rebbes House at 3am?

2012-01-20T12:02:00.004-05:00

Did the Rebbe even have a private life? Or his Rebbetzin?

She served faithfully at her husband’s side, sharing not only his work but his belief that every Jew was their priority. The Avner Institute presents the following encounter with one of the Rebbe’s secretaries which deeply reflects the 24/7 dedication of the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

The following was told at a Chassidic gathering in Jerusalem 2003 by the Rebbe’s secretary Rabbi Binyomin Klein:

It was a winter morning in 1966, about 3:30 a.m. The Rebbe had left for home already—rather early, considering that there had been no private audience that night.

Just then a phone rang in the secretariat’s office. An employee picked up and asked, “Who is it?”

“Who is it?” he asked.

“My baby,” came a frantic woman’s voice. “He just fell—he’s been badly hurt.”
Apparently the doctors were arguing over procedures because of the baby's critical condition.

“Please, can you contact the Rebbe for me?” she cried. “I need a blessing right away, and his advice.”

“I’m very sorry,” the secretary explained, “but the Rebbe has already left. I’m afraid this will have to wait until morning. But I promise—I’ll ask the Rebbe first thing.”

The mother pleaded, "It's a matter of life and death. I need an answer now."

Placing the woman on hold, the secretary stared at the phone, deep in thought. The Rebbe might already be fast asleep. And yet . . . .

At last he decided to give it a try. If the phone was answered, he would ask forgiveness for calling so late.

He dialed uneasily.

The Rebbetzin answered. "Ver ret (who is talking)?"

The secretary gave his name and immediately said, "I am terribly sorry for calling so late," and proceeded to give his forgiveness speech—“how it was a chutzpah (nerve) to call at this hour.”

Then he continued, “But there is a lady here in desperate need. She says it is a matter of life and death." He described her plight.

The Rebbetzin exclaimed, "Why on earth are you asking forgiveness? On the contrary, this is what my husband and I are here for. We are meant to serve Jews twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. For us, there is no ‘time off.’ By your calling us you are helping us fulfill our mission."

The Rebbe - Being an Engineer Myself

2012-01-20T11:57:00.005-05:00

The Rebbe seldom spoke of personal history, or of issues in which he was involved. Nevertheless, there were times when his opinions, in private correspondence and in public speech, reflected a profound range of both secular and religious knowledge.

One painful example, in the 1950's, was the “kosher ships” that traveled on Shabbos in the U.S. and Israel. The Avner Institute presents a letter to a visiting student, Marilyn Bell, where the Rebbe, drawing on scientific background, describes in expert detail the workings of an ocean liner and the technical reasons why they create a Sabbath desecration. With special thanks to Rabbi Reuven Leigh, director of Chabad at Cambridge, UK.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
21 Shevat 5718
Brooklyn, NY
Miss Marilyn Bell
c/o Diane Hotel
237 Madison Avenue
New York 16, New York
Blessing and Greeting:

I was pleased to receive your letter of January 30th, in which you wrote about your spending your vacation at home, after which you planned to return to your studies in New York. I am gratified to note that you do not content yourself with your own progress in Hebrew Studies, but that you are trying to use your good influence with your friends in that direction. This kind of benevolent effort expresses in the best possible way the commandment of “Love thy fellow-Jew,” which is the great principle of our Torah. For, if helping a fellow-Jew in material things is so great a mitzvah, how much more so helping one spiritually, in matters of Torah and mitzvoth, which are eternal.

Moreover, the mitzvah of Sabbath observance that you write about is one of the most fundamental ones, and as the rabbis stated in the Talmud (Jerusalemi, Nedarim 319) that the Sabbath equals in importance all the other mitzvoth combined. By the same token Sabbath desecration is one of the gravest transgressions, so that Rabbis have ruled that he who publicly desecrates the Sabbath is regarded as if he was desecrating the entire Torah.

I mention this particularly in reference to your inquiry regarding the disgraceful Sabbath desecration which is perpetrated by the Jewish ocean liner. The claim that everything is done automatically during the 24 hours of the Sabbath is completely absurd, and I state it with the fullest authority, being an engineer myself, and having studied also marine mechanics. For one thing, certain machinery cannot be operated automatically especially those in connection with the steering, radio communication, services, and similar ones.

Secondly, even those machines which can operate automatically are required by their very operation, as well as by international law, to be checked periodically every few hours, which involves direct Sabbath desecration a corresponding number of times during the 24-hour period of the Sabbath.

Thirdly, certain so-called automatic machines, including some of the boilers, require change of parts periodically, approximately every six hours, when the affected sections of these machines are stopped and restarted for the said purpose, diminishing or extinguishing the fire and them starting it again.

In addition to the above, there are so many other instances on a ship plying the high seas which involved Sabbath desecration, as anyone who is familiar with the technical aspects of modern shipping will know. For instance, the water which is supplied for drinking, and even the running water in the cabins, is derived from the seawater by a process of distillation, which, as you no doubt know, means the boiling and evaporating of the water and converting it back to distilled water by cooling.

The water supply is not stored for days ahead, not even for 24 hours, because of the storage room that it would require, but is produced simply by a continuous process of distillation. In other words, even if the entire crew consisted of non-Jews, the water could not be used by the passengers on the ship several hours after the Sabbath had begun, because the water supply from before Sabbath would have been exhausted, and the crew would be providing fresh water on the Sabbath, specifically for the Jewish passengers, the use of which Jewish laws prohibits until several hours have elapsed after the termination of the Sabbath.

The same is true of the lighting system. This law would apply even if only a majority of the passengers were Jews; how much more so in the case of the Jewish ships which carry almost exclusively Jewish passengers, for it is on their behalf that the ship is operated and the machines are regulated, involving flagrant violation of the Sabbath. Only one who has no conception of how much machines are operated can be made to believe the absurd claim that an ocean liner can, for 24 hours, be operated automatically, without any Sabbath desecration.

Unfortunately, there have been rabbis who have been misled, and have misled others, on this subject. In their ignorance of the technical aspects involved, and under the influence of misleading statements by technicians who, for reasons of their own, did not choose to disclose all the facts, the rabbis have regretfully been misled into thinking, or even declaring openly, that no Sabbath desecration was here involved.
You mention in your letter that one of your friends has spoken to a captain of a Jewish boat, who is said to have declared that his boat was operated automatically on the Sabbath. In this connection, I would like to enclose a copy of a questionnaire which I sent a year ago to an executive of the shipping company, who had claimed that the ships are navigated automatically during the Sabbath. This communication remained unanswered to this day, for obvious reasons, for I am sure there will not be found anyone who will state that any of the enumerated items can be worked automatically, if he has any regard for truth and does not wish to be caught in making false statements.

I would like to comment also on your reference regarding the kashruth of the food served in the said ships. You can easily see, and any rabbi will confirm this, that when food is served by Jews who openly desecrate the Sabbath (as on the ships), the kashruth of such food is under a serious question mark. Moreover, even if a mashgiach (supervisor) is engaged to supervise the kashruth on these ships, it would not change the situation, since the mashgiach himself would be guilty of open Sabbath desecration, and his reliability as a mashgiach would thereby be “jeopardized.”
The question has been asked: If the operation of the Jewish ships involves such a violation of the Jewish law, why is there no storm of protest raised in the Holy Land to stop it? The answer will become self-evident from the following two instances:

a) For some ten years the supply and distribution of milk in the Holy Land has been in the hands of cooperatives and farms, many of which have been known to raise pigs and under very strong suspicion of tackling with the milk, which therefore made the milk trefah. Yet, until late last summer, nothing was done about it, until finally Rabbi Nissim stepped in and banned such milk, inducing the guilty farmers to give up their pig breeding, since they did not want to lose the more lucrative milk business. No doubt you have read about it in the papers. Surely, no one would declare cow’s milk mixed with pig’s milk as kosher, yet for years this disgraceful thing went on unchallenged.

(b) Fact #2 is connected with Sabbath violation, which had for a long time been practiced by the paper factory in Hadera. This, too, was only recently stopped by Rabbi Nissim when he banned such paper from use by publishers of sacred literature. Again the issue was not in doubt, for no one will say that Torah permits a Jewish paper factory, because it is in the Holy Land, to operate on the Sabbath.
Finally, I must forestall another “argument” in connection with the Jewish ships. Some interested parties refer to a book written by Rabbi Waldenberg, in which the legal aspects and conditions under which a Jewish ship could, theoretically, run its course on the Sabbath, are examined. This book is “cited” as purportedly giving approval to travel on the Jewish ships during the Sabbath. How misleading this is can easily be seen from the fact that none of the mitigating requirements mentioned in the book have actually been met in practice, and the conditions prevailing on these ships are precisely such as make the operation of the ships a definite violation of the Torah.

I want to mention here that last year that a group of Jewish girls who were planning to go to the Holy Land on one of these ships, on learning of the Sabbath desecration that it involved, changed their plans and went by air instead. I believe they belong to the Mizrachi and Poel Hamizrachi. These girls certainly deserve credit. Actually, would it not be ridiculous, were it not for the grave issue involved, for a person desirous to go to the land which is regarded as holy even by non-Jews, that he should choose a way of transportation which involves the open violation of one of the Ten Commandments, namely, the commandment of “Keep the Sabbath Day holy,” which, as we noted above, equals in magnificence all the commandments observed.

I trust that you surely know that the Shulchan Aruch begins with the admonition, “Do not be influenced by scoffers” (cf. Tur and Rema, Orach Chaim, beginning of par. 1). I sincerely hope that this will be so in your case, and may G-d help you to save others from open desecration of the Sabbath, which, even when committed unwittingly, is one of the most serious offences, especially as, insofar as the onlooker is concerned, the distinction between conscious or unwitting Sabbath desecration does not apply.

With prayerful wishes for your success in all your affairs, and in connection with the above in particular.

With blessing,
[Signature]

A Kosher Holistic Center?

2012-01-20T11:54:00.004-05:00

TM. Yoga. Path to enlightenment? Or rocky road to idol worship?

The Avner Institute presents a letter to Doctor Yehuda Landes, wanting to open a holistic center for fellow Jews, where the Rebbe’s response reveals remarkable insight – not only as to the need for proper guidance, but the use of “alternate therapies” within a Torah framework.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

B.H.
21 Adar II, 5738
Brooklyn, NY
Dr. ---
Palo Alto, CA
Sholom uBrocho:

Thank you for your letter of 13 Adar II. I appreciate your comprehensive response to my letter and memorandum on the need to organize widespread use of T.M. and similar techniques in psychotherapy compatible with the Torah with the double objective of making such therapy available to Jewish patients in a kosher way and at the same time saving numerous Jews from getting involved with avoda zora [idolatry] as now commonly practiced in the USA.

Needless to say, I noticed your suggestions and observations in this connection with understandable interest.

In reply, let me first say that, as a general principle, so long as the said two objectives can best be served, whatever project is determined to be most effective is most desirable, and, of course, acceptable to me.

There are, however, some points in your response which need careful assessment. For instance, the suggestion that an Institute employing the said healing techniques might be linked with a strictly Orthodox, even Lubavitch, orientation should be examined in light of its being a possible, or even likely, deterrent for many candidates who might hesitate to turn to such an institute for fear that it may impose upon them religious demands and commitments which they are not yet prepared to accept.

The above is not to say that the idea should be rejected out of hand, since there may be individuals who would not be deterred by it. But I believe that if the project is to attract a wider circle of candidates for therapy, it would have a wider acceptance of it is not overtly tied in with such an orientation, or discipline; at any rate, not in the initial stage.

Needless to say, the emphasis is on the overt orientation of the projected Institute, which should have no religious or other preconditions for anyone seeking its services. But the Institute itself should, of course, be run in strict keeping with the Torah, with a kosher, indeed glatt kosher, kitchen, strict Shabbos observance, with mezuzot on all doors—just as there are glatt kosher hotels and institutions.
With regard to the basic point you make in your letter, namely, that most people for whom our plan is envisaged consider themselves “normal” and would not be interested in a program that offers professional (medical) services, but would prefer a more simplistic setup for relaxation, etc.—this should certainly be taken into account, since the ultimate goals of our plan would not be affected. And, if as you suggest, this would be the more practical setup for attracting more people and achieving our two objectives—healing and elimination of avoda zara—then by all means, this method should be given due consideration.

I would like to make a further point, though entirely not in my domain, namely, in reference to hypnosis as one of the techniques used in psychotherapy, as mentioned in your letter.

I have always been wary of any method that deprives a person of the free exercise of his will, and which puts him in the power of another person, even temporarily—except, of course, in case of pikuach nefesh [saving a life]. Certainly I would not favor the use of such a method on a wider scale, least of all to encourage psychologists and psychiatrists enrolled in our program to use it.

Finally, a point which for understandable reasons I did not want to mention in my letter accompanying the memorandum: If in the first stage of implementing the program there would be need for funding the initial outlay, my secretariat would make such funds available.

Your further comments will be welcome, and many thanks again.
With blessing,
M. Schneerson

Elie Wiesel - I am No Chabadnik

2012-01-20T11:49:00.003-05:00

What exactly makes a “Chabadnik”? Why are Chabad Houses seen everywhere, on campuses and communities from Alaska to Australia?

The Avner Institute presents a tribute by famed humanitarian Elie Wiesel on this distinctive breed—the young couples who willingly, and often at great self-sacrifice, devote themselves to the Rebbe’s outreach, and who have helped to make Chabad so widely popular, With special thanks to Rabbi Moshe Langer and Rabbi Levi Margolin.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By Elie Wiesel

As known, Chabad means carrying through a mission. A mission of Chabad and a mission of the Rebbe, its leader, missions from the Rebbe to his admirers, from follower to follower; from emissary to the mass public.

Chabad also means emissaries: these remarkable young men and women whom the Rebbe sends to the closest and far distant places, wherever Jewish people live, and wherever one has to spread Judaism and rekindle the Jewish spark of faith, hope, and redemption.

I would like to offer them a public expression of gratitude and thanks. Let the world know that even in human deserts, Jewish people are not left alone; let the Jewish and Chassidic world know that in the most abandoned cities and hamlets, in small and even smaller colleges the Chabadniks are there, seeking and reaching out to Jewish students, to affectionately offer them guidance and counseling, to expose them to their “roots” and—quite simple—to warm them up.

This does not mean that they are the only ones. There are also other organizations that do what they can and sometimes even what they should do. There are Hillel Houses, Community Centers, and various educational agencies that dedicate themselves to students, affording them an education in the Jewish spirit. However, Chabad is still different.

I sound like a Chabadnik? In order that no one accuses me of misleading, I usually admit at every Chabad gathering that I am actually not a Chabadnik, but rather a Vishnitzer follower. I am a Vishnitzer descendent and will probably remain an admirer of Vishnitz until the end.

So what? I am also close to the Gerer dynasty; and, quite frankly, I feel very close to the Chassidic movement as a whole. However, Chabad does occupy a special place in the Chassidic world. In the field of disseminating Torah and Judaism amongst Jewish students who have gone adrift, no one can compare with Chabad.

I witnessed this more than once. You arrive in a community somewhere in the South, Midwest, and you meet colleagues and students who speak with great fervor about their relationship with Chabad. If not for the emissaries of Chabad, many young people would have been misled and lured into various cults or drug addiction, etc., G-d forbid.

Thanks to these quiet, modest, but capable emissaries, many young people found an address where to find shelter, where they can meet human beings with warm hearts and talk about their problems. In those places Chabad emissaries are the only contact for youth with the Jewish people and with Judaism.

Seattle and Detroit, Madison and Boston, Amherst, Minneapolis and Chicago—no one has invited them, no one prepared any contacts or apartments for them, and in some cases, no one was even aware of their coming. They just showed up one bright morning and began to seek Jews.

Following the first week, they already had an explicit picture of the situation, what has to be done, where, and how much manpower is needed. The following month they have already organized their own center for the students, educational programs, etc. A year or so later, this small center turns into a huge edifice of activities.

Today we already have, thank G-d, hundreds of big branched-out Chabad centers in the United States of America. They draw the rich and the poor, the religious and the non-committed, the children and their parents. You learn, you pray, you sing, and organize joyful gatherings and rallies.

I wish that other Chassidic movements would envy them and also send emissaries, build schools and educational centers, and would also save Jewish souls—should that be the case our situation would be different.

How come the Chabadniks are the only ones in this field? Can we (or are we allowed to) say that others do not have the same self-sacrifice? G-d forbid. Perhaps it is rooted in the fundamental approach of Chabad to Judaism on the basis of education.
For Chabad, education is a fundamental principle. Second, its dedication is also attributed to the personality of the Rebbe. Every emissary feels that he serves in an army where the Rebbe is its Commander-in-Chief. One goes where the Rebbe asks him to, one fulfills all his requests. When an emissary once expressed his concern to the Rebbe that his center has a great deficit, the Rebbe responded: “Next year, I wish you a greater deficit.”

Come what may, a solution is always found. One finds philanthropists to cover the budget expenditures, one finds Jews who help here and there. “I sought and I found: believe,” the Talmud states. When we deal with seeking, one must have faith.
I am enthusiastically moved by the Rebbe’s emissaries. I see them on the battlefield, I see how they educate children, how they speak to estranged people. How can one stand from the side? One must lend a hand. One must respond by saying, Amen.

I must add that their personal conduct is to be admired. Whatever they or their families do, it is done for the sake of the cause. Their only ambition? To reach out to another young man, another young woman, and bring them closer to Judaism. To awake another heart, another soul, and to save them from assimilation or conversion, G-d forbid, so that their achievements may serve as an example.

I know what you think: The Chabadniks grabbed me, took me into their net. No, I am still a Vishnitzer. If Vishnitz shall establish centers on the colleges, I will praise them a hundredfold. In the meantime, Chabad is the only one doing this.

The Rebbe Opposes - " I Will Try my Best"

2012-01-20T11:45:00.004-05:00

“Rebbe, I’ll try.” Why, to the Rebbe, was human effort not enough? Why did “offering one’s best” seem so . . . well, weak and uncommitted?

The Avner Institute presents an insightful letter to a newlywed who learns the dishonesty behind certain words – all talk and no follow-through – and the Rebbe’s simple reply: “Just do it,” and the One Above will help.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
27 Elul 5717
Brooklyn, NY

Blessing and Greeting:

I was pleased to receive your letter of September 17th, and was particularly gratified with its contents, that you are well and happy, and gradually taking over your routine activities.

There is a well-known saying to the effect that making a good start sets off a good chain of reaction for continued success. This is especially true in marriage, which begins a new life. Therefore it is important to start it off well, to ensure continued happiness and contentment. May G-d help that this be so in your case.
Most important of all is to start the new life in a way that corresponds with the teachings of our Torah, the Law of Life, and then the going is much easier than one anticipated.

This brings me to the next point. You write that you do not want to use the expression of “promise to do,” but would rather use the expression “to try to do,” as you are afraid to commit yourself, lest you would find it difficult to live up to your promise. Experience has shown that when a person makes a promise to do something, this very promise gives him the strength to carry it out without hesitation, and with greater ease. Whereas, when one does not commit himself, promising only “to try,” or “to do one’s best,” then, when the matter comes up, and there is temptation not to do it, he is more likely to fail, saying to himself that, after all, he did not promise to do it, but only “to try,” and therefore he is not breaking his word, and his conscience doesn’t bother him. That is why I think that you should be determined to observe the laws, etc., and, knowing that you have made a promise to do so, will give you not only greater strength, but also peace of mind, as it would eliminate all doubts and hesitations.

Needless to say, if the things in question were impossible to carry out, there would be no room for making a promise. However, in this case, where it concerns the practical observance of the Divine Commandments, given by G-d, the Creator, Who knows also the abilities of the human beings, it is certain that He would not have commanded to do anything which is beyond one’s power to do, for G-d is the Essence of Goodness, and does not impose a greater obligation that one is capable to fulfill. Moreover, the laws that He commanded are not for His sake, inasmuch as G-d is not deficient of anything, but they are for the good of the observer.

You will recall what I said to you when you were here that, in regard to the practical precepts, the less one debates with himself, but, rather, fulfills them with simple faith in G-d, the easier and the more natural life is, and the more harmony and happiness it brings. For one of the essential aspects of the Torah is to serve G-d with joy. Such service is carried out, not only through the act of fulfillment of a certain precept, such as putting on tefillin, or the lighting of candles, etc., but every action, word, and thought, which are dedicated to G-d with a spirit of joy of being able to serve the Creator, brings additional light in one’s world, and in the world at large.

On the threshold of the New Year, may it bring blessings to us all, I send you and yours my prayerful wishes for a good and pleasant year, materially and spiritually, with the traditional, and all-embracing blessing of kesivo vechasimo toivo.

Although you do not mention it, I trust that you duly received my two previous letters. As for your question with regard to using certain expressions, you may, of course, use the expression that best describes your thoughts and feelings, and also in any language you find most convenient.

Dear Rebbe, I like you very much.

2012-01-20T11:41:00.003-05:00

A six-year-old girl expresses her feelings for the Rebbe. How did the Rebbe reply?

The Avner Institute presents a sweet story from Mrs. Chaya Kahan, whose daughter Rivka, inspired by her mother, wrote a heartfelt letter and received proof of the Rebbe’s willingness to take time off from the thousands of matters crossing his desk to tend to his youngest Chassidim.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Mrs. Chaya Kahan relates:

I remember sitting down and writing a letter to the Rebbe. My daughter Rivka, who was then six years old, approached me and asked, “Mommy, what are you writing?”

I replied, “I am writing a letter to the Rebbe for his advice.”

My daughter then continued, “Mommy, will the Rebbe answer you?" When I told her yes, Rivka then asked, “Can I write a letter to the Rebbe also?”
I told her, "Yes.”

My daughter then sat down and wrote the following:

Dear Rebbe, I like you very much.

~Chasia Rivka Kahan.

The Rebbe's Response

Two weeks later, much to my excitement, an envelope came in the mail addressed to Miss Chasia Rivka Kahan. I then called my daughter over, where we sat down and read the letter together:

Miss Chasia Rivka Kahan,

Blessings and Greetings,

I was pleased to receive your letter, and thank you very much for letting me know how you feel.

I am therefore sure that you conduct yourself in a way that is fitting for a Jewish girl, the daughter of Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah, the mothers of our people, about whom you have surely heard about.

With Blessing.
(The Rebbe's signature)

What is the Role of a Chabad Shliach?

2012-01-20T11:33:00.005-05:00

What is the role of a “Shliach”? What does it mean to commit to a lifetime of outreach and, wherever a Chabad emissary goes, to carry out the Rebbe’s work?

In honor of this year’s Shluchim Convention, the Avner Institute presents a moving story by Rabbi Shimon Sonnenfeld, of Kiryat Malachi, Israel, of a young “shaliach-in-training” whose Shabbat in a secular kibbutz turns out to be anything but coincidence.
This week’s e-mail is sponsored by Daqri LLC of Los Angeles, California, in honor of Chabad Shluchim around the world. To learn more about Daqri and how it can benefit your community.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Sonnefeld relates:

One Friday afternoon a van with eight teenage boys, students of Migdal Emek yeshiva in northern Israel, was traveling on a winding road in the Galilee. They made a round every Friday, visiting different settlements in order to give the residents an opportunity to lay tefillin, have their mezuzot checked, and send out pamphlets explaining various mitzvoth.

After hours of traveling and outreach work without a moment of rest, the time had come to return to the yeshiva. They were tired, hungry, and thirsty. “Let’s have a short rest by the roadside,” said one of them. “There seems to be a nice spot over there.”

The boys exited the van and searched for a suitable place. Resting in the shade of a large, ancient olive tree, they drank soda and breathed in the clear air of the Galilee hills.

One of the boys went to lie down in the shade of a tree a short distance away from his companions. In exhaustion he fell fast asleep.

After ten minutes, the boys returned to their van. Since all of them went to different places each Friday and the team frequently changed, nobody noticed that one of the students was missing.

After about an hour, the boy awoke and to his surprise discovered that the van had disappeared. He ran to the road, but there was no trace of the van.

Here he was, alone on a dusty road in the Galilee, and Shabbat was approaching! How would he make his way back to the yeshiva on time? Where would he stay for Shabbat? Where would he eat the Shabbat meals? Where would he pray and listen to the Torah reading? And how would he be able to shower and change his clothes in honor of Shabbat?

On the Road

He started to walk briskly along the road. Perhaps he could reach the main road and find a car that would take him to the yeshiva. But the road was silent and no cars were passing by on that late Friday afternoon.

The sun cast its red rays on his face as it set on the western horizon. The boys hastened his steps in order to reach a settlement before the entrance of the day of rest. However, the only settlements he could see were Arab villages where naturally he had no desire to spend Shabbat.

Since carrying on Shabbat was forbidden, he removed whatever he had in his pockets and placed them under a stone. He was careful to leave a certain sign in order to find them later.

Darkness had already descended upon the Galilee hills when the student reached a Jewish settlement. It was a kibbutz where the members were non-observant. Reluctantly he decided to ask permission to remain there during Shabbat. He met a member of the kibbutz on one of the concrete paths and said, “Excuse me. I have nowhere to stay in this area for Shabbat. Is it possible to find a place for me to stay in your kibbutz?”

“The kibbutz secretary lives in the third house on the right. You should ask him,” the member answered.

The student went to see the secretary, who understood his situation and showed him a room where he would sleep. The secretary also invited the young man to supper in the kibbutz dining hall. The student thanked him but felt that he could not eat there, as the kibbutz lacked a kosher kitchen.

Instead, he asked for two whole loves of bread. Afterwards he prayed the Shabbat evening prayers alone, much of which he fortunately knew by heart, in his room. He made Kiddush on the bread and ate his Shabbat meal—bread and tomatoes.
Morning After.

The next morning he awoke when the sun’s rays penetrated his window. He remembered at once where he was. Now he had to get ready for the Shabbat day, praying by himself, without the synagogue Torah reading, without the Shabbat meals together with his friends in the yeshiva.

He prayed again by heart and read the Torah portion in a Bible from the kibbutz library. By noon he had his meal, consisting of the same menu as the night before.
With many hours left until the end of Shabbat, he took a pleasant walk through the kibbutz and saw the many children strolling around. An idea crossed his mind. “If I’m still here, maybe I should make a children’s gathering and tell them something about Yiddishkeit!”

He approached the children and asked if they wanted to participate in a small party. A big group readily agreed. A few youth counselors from the kibbutz also joined in order to see what was going on.

The yeshiva boy started to sing Jewish songs together with the children. They all happily joined in with loud voices, clapping their hands. He told them about the weekly Torah portion and a number of Chassidic stories. All the children gave him their full attention. This was the first time in their lives that anyone had introduced them to authentic Judaism. They enjoyed every moment of the Shabbat party.

Certain Mission

Towards the end, the yeshiva boy said to the children:

“You should know that everything that happens in the world is by Divine Providence. The Creator of the world prepares the steps of each man. Wherever he goes, he has a certain Divine mission to fulfill, although we are not always able to understand the purpose of everything that happens.

“For instance, look at what happened to me and where I am now. I was supposed to be together with my friends in my yeshiva right now, and instead I ended up here, together with you.

“I am one hundred percent sure that it was not by pure chance that we decided to stop that van exactly next to those olive trees on the side of the road. It was not by chance that I fell asleep under a tree at a distance from my friends. It was not because of ‘luck’ or ‘bad luck’ that my friends continued the trip back without noticing I was missing. Neither was it a coincidence that no cars passed by on the road and I continued by foot until I reached the first Jewish settlement on my way – which was your kibbutz.

“Why did I have to come here? Well, I do not know the answer to that, but I am sure that . . . .”

His speech was suddenly interrupted. One of the girl counselors jumped up and exclaimed, “I know the reason for your coming here!”

All of them present turned around and stared at her in amazement.

“I have always taken an interest in my religion,” the girl continued, “and I always wanted to learn more. I heard that Lubavitchers organize evenings with explanations about Judaism, and I asked the head of the cultural committee here to invite them, but he always turned it down. Despite my efforts, my request was always rejected.
“Finally I decided to do something entirely different. I turned to G-d for help. During this whole week I have been praying to G-d to send a Lubavitcher to our kibbutz—and here you are!”

Is America truly different? - The Rebbe's Blessing

2012-01-20T11:28:00.003-05:00

Is America truly different? Can the Rebbe’s blessings be revealed beyond his inner circle?

The Avner Institute presents a fascinating encounter from the memoirs of Rabbi Yehoshua Dubrawski who, after the ordeal of childlessness, saw the Rebbe’s miracles fullfilled, and the Rebbe’s assurance that a holy man’s presence, even in photo, creates a holy environment wherever his Chassidim can be found.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Yehoshua Dubrawski relates:

Over a year had passed since our wedding, and there were still no children on the way. My wife finally went to see a top doctor in Paris, who stated that her chances of becoming pregnant were slim.

In 5713/1953, a few years after our marriage, we arrived in Brooklyn, and it was then that we had our first audience with the Rebbe. I will add parenthetically that at that time my grandfather Rabbi Menachem Mendel Dubrawski, of blessed memory, lived with us and shared our private audience. The war had left him a broken man, but when the Rebbe rose and asked him to be seated, he refused. After reciting the she'hechiyanu blessing and the Rebbe's blessings, Zeide said he was the uncle of the Rebbe's father.

The Rebbe responded with his charming smile and said, “We know, we know.”
When I told the Rebbe about our long wait for children and the Parisian doctor's diagnosis, the Rebbe dismissed it all and said the following, unforgettable words, “Over here it is otherwise. But since you need to operate within the parameters of nature, your wife should go to a local doctor.”

Then the Rebbe blessed us.

A Promise Fulfilled

As New York was flooded with refugees, the Joint Distribution Committee wanted us to settle in Detroit, where a large Jewish community existed. Meanwhile my wife was examined by an American doctor, but he too had nothing positive to say. After months went by without our seeing the fulfillment of the blessings, I wrote to the Rebbe and detailed our requests. The Rebbe answered that we would see salvation, and he showered us with blessings.

More time passed with no change. Again I wrote to the Rebbe, and to this day, I don't know where I got the nerve to ask not only for a blessing but for a promise.

I did not receive an answer to this letter; instead, my wife gave me the answer.
When I informed the Rebbe of the good news, he told me not to publicize it until three months had gone by. Later, on one of the Chassidic holidays, I traveled from Detroit to see him.

“Nu, how is your balabusta doing?” the Rebbe asked. “Whatever the doctor said, I hope?” Later, when my wife was visiting in Brooklyn, the Rebbe stopped her on the street and asked her how she was feeling and how the pregnancy was progressing.

Thanks to the Rebbe's blessings, our oldest daughter Sarah was born. She is currently an emissary in Lyon, France.

The Eighth Day

When our second child was born, this time in New York, I met with the Rebbe alone—as my wife could not go—before the circumcision ceremony and requested both a blessing for the ceremony and a name to give the baby. Although the parents customarily picked a name, neither my wife nor I could decide whether to call him Yosef Yitzchok, after the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, or Eliezer Lippman, for my father. Therefore we would leave it up to the Rebbe.

The Rebbe answered firmly, “You must not make ‘tricks.’ This is a matter solely up to you and your wife. Go home and discuss it with her, then come back and tell me what you have decided.” To avoid any problems with his staff upon my return, I was to tell them that the Rebbe had told me to come back.

I don't think I ever heard of anything like this before—to go home and then right back just to report what name was chosen. Nevertheless, I did what the Rebbe said.
My wife and I had a quick consultation, after which I hurried back to the Rebbe. I was admitted immediately, although I never found out if anyone else was having an audience in the meantime.

The Rebbe welcomed me with a big smile. “Nu, vos vet R' Heishe itzt zogen" (what will Heishe say now)?” By the way, it was from the Rebbe, for the first time, that I heard myself being called Heishe, as it had been the practice to nickname any Yehoshua in our family and in our home town, Podobronka.

When I told the Rebbe that we were going to name the baby Yosef Yitzchok, I could see he was pleased, and he blessed us. However, for a reason I can’t recall, he asked that I not honor him with holding the baby at the circumcision ceremony. To be sure, I was disappointed.

The Rebbe then said, “Since you wish for my participation, you must put a picture of the Rebbe [meaning the Previous Rebbe, “my teacher and father-in-law”] in front of you while the ceremony is taking place. It will be just like I am participating.”

Rebbe, What does it cost to get Chabad out of debt?

2012-01-20T11:25:00.004-05:00

Rebbe, What does it cost to get Chabad out of debt?

A desperate lawyer. A daughter at death’s door. When crisis knocked, the Rebbe answered. The Avner Institute presents an excerpt from the diary of Berel Junik, who as a student over 60 years ago saw firsthand the Rebbe’s Divine help, with the stern lesson that the price of miracles is not measured in dollars, but mitzvoth.

Good Shabbos

Menachem

November 1950:From the diary of Rabbi Berel Junik.

It was Maariv, Motzei Shabbos. The holiday season over, it was business as usual at 770 when the Sabbath Queen was being ushered out. Students and congregants alike looked forward to a week of study or the latest news.

In the middle of the service an elegant, well-dressed gentleman walked in. “Good evening,” he announced. “I’d like to see the Rebbe.”

He sounded like someone accustomed to giving orders and having them obeyed.
The yeshiva boys eyed him. “The Rebbe can’t see anyone right now,” one of them explained. “He’s in the middle of davening.”

The man suddenly wilted. “Oh please,” he cried, “can’t he see me? My daughter is very sick.”

Waving his hand, he promised $10,000 to whoever would heal his daughter.
“I’ve been to every Jewish leader in New York,” he continued, on the verge of tears. “They could do nothing. The Rebbe is my last hope.”

Softening with pity, the students steered him toward the Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Chodokov.

“You may see the Rebbe in his office after ma’ariv,” the Rabbi Chodokov said, “but I must ask his permission first.”

The service concluded, the Rebbe strode into his work place, where he was to devote many hours. Deferentially, the secretary approached him and explained the visitor’s predicament.

“I will receive him tomorrow morning,” the Rebbe replied.
Hearing this, the visitor cried, “Rebbe, please! My daughter’s condition is critical! Who knows what tomorrow might bring?”

Gently Rabbi Chodokov answered, “I’m sorry, but once the Rebbe says something, it is impossible to change his mind.”

The man was taken aback. As a prominent attorney, he was used to a world where money talked, backed by persuasion and guile. Yet not even $10,000 could sway the Rebbe. He was firm: it must wait till tomorrow.

Heaven Awaits

The next morning the lawyer reappeared at 770.

“It was amazing,” he explained to the Rebbe. “I was told by the doctors that in a case like my daughter’s there could be two things: either she’d pull out of it or she’d deteriorate further. By now I thought she’d be in a coma.

“Yet, it was strange. Starting from the night before, her condition had not changed at all.”

The Rebbe replied, “You see that from heaven they are waiting for you, and it all depends on you. If you commit to three areas of Torah and mitzvoth like Shabbos observance, your daughter will recover.”

The man, who was not observant, tried to offer money instead, but the Rebbe remained silent.

“How about $20,000?” the man offered.

The Rebbe smiled. “I am just a shaliach, a messenger of G-d who is here to tell you how things really are. There is nothing to discuss since it does not depend on me.”
When the man stormed out, the Rebbe summoned his secretary. “Please leave word to all our schools and agencies that not one penny should be accepted by this gentleman. He should not think he could buy someone off.”

When word—and enough rejection—was brought to the gentleman, he humbly returned to the Rebbe.
“All right,” he said. “You win. What should I do?”

When he slowly took on observances, he received word that his daughter's life was no longer in danger. Soon a seed was planted.

As the man grew more involved in Jewish life, he began learning how to daven. It was slow and awkward, but the Rebbe, following his progress, told his students not to pressure him.

“Don’t do the entire service with him,” he explained to one of them, Berel Junik. “Don't rip the cord. And then to have him say the entire Tehillim as well? Way too much!”

A few weeks later, the Rebbe told Berel Junik, “You exhausted him today with the davening. Don't make it hard for him.”

When Berel explained that the man wanted to donate a Kiddush at 770 on Shabbos Mevorchim Teves (because he knew that Farbrengens took place only on Shabbos Mevorchim), the Rebbe commanded, “Don't let him. He’ll probably want to come with his family and friends, and it will be hard for them to come on foot. A shul near his home, maybe, he can make a Farbrengen there whenever he wants. The most convenient time is the Shabbos before 10 Kislev, which is close to 19 Kislev [holiday commemorating the release of the first Lubavitcher Rebbe from Russian prison]. Some yeshiva students should attend and use the opportunity to speak about Chassidus, our Rebbes, and Jewish education. Make sure there is a shul near his house or he will have the same problem.”

The Rebbe concluded, “He thinks that by making a Kiddush he fulfills his obligation, that all of Judaism rests on this.”

In the end, however, the Rebbe did allow the lawyer to donate a Kiddush at 770 and during the weekly Torah portion of Vayigash the Rebbe farbrenged.

Before a mass of followers the Rebbe discussed the difference between a son and a daughter in the service of G-d. “A son represents intellect and a daughter acceptance of mitzvoth.”

Turning to the lawyer, the Rebbe concluded, “Since G-d did a miracle and saved your daughter’s life, you need to serve Him unconditionally, with no calculations.”

"Your children Must be my Chassidim"

2012-01-20T11:21:00.004-05:00

Why are you so angry? Why are you not Happy?

He was one-of-a-kind. A Chassid, a shliach, and a mentor for Jews throughout the Holy Land, The following is a transcript of a unique audience Reuven Dunin, a”h, a Chabad rabbi of Haifa, had with the Rebbe in the winter of 1964.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

In his diary, Rabbi Reuven Dunin, a”h, remembers a profound private audience with the Rebbe that took place Tishrei 5724 (1964):

"They say the Rebbe knows all that goes on. He certainly knew me like the back of his hand, because as soon as I entered his office, the Rebbe asked me:

“Nu, what’s going on? Why are you so angry? What is the reason you are not Besimcha (joyful)? I told you that I wanted you to be be'simcha. If you don't do my work with happiness, then you are not fulfilling my will, and you are not performing in the same way that I am.

"Because I can't be everywhere at once. I can't be in Holon, Kfar Chabad, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat, Paris, Melbourne -- and also in Brooklyn! Therefore I send out shluchim. I chose for you to go to Haifa and I want to make you a high commander, a general. I would hope that knowing what I want would be a source of joy that would stay with you -- just knowing that the one who is being commanded is doing what his commander wants.”

When my mood, however, did not seem to change, the Rebbe demanded, "Haven’t I influenced you in ways that make you happy yet? You must be involved in shlichus in a happy way.”

I mumbled to the Rebbe my concerns -- concerns over money, and the source, or rather, lack of income. It was hard to be a Chassid, or at least a happy Chassid, when mundane problems stared me in the face.

The Rebbe listened sympathetically, then answered, "Regarding a livelihood -- it doesn't make a difference if you work for a company or if you work for an individual. The main thing is to have as much income as possible, because you need to feed and clothe your family. They should have the proper amount--as much as the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) dictates.”

He admitted the importance of personal responsibility. "It is not enough that you and your wife are Chassidim,” he added. “The children, too, must be my Chassidim and their material needs properly met. I want your whole family to be comfortable, so that they will be the finest Chassidim they can be.”

Nevertheless, he again stressed the role of a Chassid – to obey his leader and carry out his leader’s tasks.

“When you return to Israel you should make a farbrengen for your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances,” he commanded. “Tell them about your trip here, and convey my best wishes. People will be inspired by hearing what you have learned here, if your message is properly delivered, since 'words that come from the heart enter the heart.'"

The Rebbe concluded: "Your trip back should be with a joy just like the joy felt on Motzei Simchas Torah. Take good news from here and send good news from there."

Simchat Torah With the Rebbe - The New York Times

2011-10-17T16:54:00.002-04:00

Simchas Torah. The very walls of 770 Eastern Parkway would thunder, as thousands of visitors from all over the world gathered to rejoice with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who would dance intensely in a circle with the Sefer Torah.

The Avner Institute presents the following article, reprinted from the New York Times, Oct. 30, 1967, where journalist Sidney E. Zion avidly shares with his readers the sheer bliss – and honor – of watching the Rebbe’s Hakafos.

Good Yom Tov
Menachem

Thousands of Hasidic Jews ended a long weekend of singing, dancing, jumping and clapping yesterday, rejoicing as ever in the Torah, if a little tired from it all.

“We hustle—religion is no picnic with us,” said a red-bearded young rabbi, Samuel Schrage, at the height of the tumultuous Simhath Torah festivities at the Lubavitcher Synagogue, 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn.

The happiest day in the Hebrew calendar, Simhath Torah (literally “rejoicing in the law”) marks the completion of the Torah cycle, a year-long reading through the Five Books of Moses, which detail the basic guidance and teaching imparted to Israel. The cycle ends with the chanting of the last chapter of the last book and the reading of the first chapter of the first book.

The holiday is celebrated with gaiety by all branches of Judaism, but none of the Hasidim, whose rejoicing in strict Orthodox beliefs leads them to pitches of religious excitement unknown in others less fervid.

Indeed, while Simhath Torah officially ended before sundown on Friday, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky said confidently: “The Rebbe will keep things moving right up to Sunday.”

Converge on Brooklyn

And he did, speaking until 1:30 a.m. yesterday when the service ended with the singing of “Dem Rebbens Niggun” (“The Rabbi’s Tune”), written by Schneor Zalman, the founder of the movement.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe is Menachem M. Schneerson, who, as the rabbi of rabbis, is the leader of 250,000 people, the world’s largest Hasidic group.

Black-coated, bearded Jews from many parts of the world flocked to Brooklyn last week to be near the Rebbe, and in the early hours of Friday, the cavernous synagogue was packed.

The 65-year-old Rabbi Schneerson, whose family traces back some 200 years to the group’s birthplace in the Russian village of Lubavitch, brought 30 elderly Russian Jews to Brooklyn for a visit over the holidays.

Many had been imprisoned in the Soviet Union and were quietly released and sent to Israel within the last two years, due largely to the efforts of the Lubavitcher movement.

Some of the Russian émigrés, white-bearded and wearing peaked caps reminiscent of the Lenin period, stood behind the Rebbe’s dais for five hours as he spoke in Yiddish to 1,500 people on subjects ranging from the mystical interpretation of the scriptures as continued in the Cabala to hippies.

“That man spent 22 years in a Russian prison,” a congregant said, pointing to an old but alert man standing by Rabbi Schneerson. “All his life he’s waited to be where he is now, all his life to be with the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Simhath Torah.”

Vodka is Served

Rabbi Schneerson stopped speaking from time to time to serve vodka and sponge cake to those around him. As the Rebbe sipped, so did the Hasidim. Women of the synagogue looked down from the balcony.

But the singing and dancing was dominant as the pulsating rhythms of the melodies turned the synagogues into a festive hall.

A visitor, the Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr., chaplain of Yale University, smiled as he watched the celebration. “Wonderful,” he said, “wonderful, just wonderful.”

Rabbi Schneerson, patriarchal figure in a long black coat and soft black hat, led the singing at the apex of the Simhath Torah ceremonies. Using his right hand to conduct, he brought followers to a high point and the chanting and jumping seemed to rock the building.

He then turned and began to pray, and the congregants stopped where they were.

Finally, the Torahs were removed from the Ark and Rabbi Schneerson walked with his closest followers between the crowds swarming to get near him.

In the middle of the synagogue, Rabbi Schneerson and a few elders did the traditional dance – one man’s arm on another’s shoulder, circling the floor with scrolls in hand.

At a high post nearby, where the rabbi had earlier led the singing, a Russian Jew looked into the eyes of a stranger, smiled, and without a word put his arm on the stranger’s shoulder and the two danced until the rabbi stopped.

The Rebbe and The IDF

2011-10-11T12:19:00.005-04:00

An air force pilot is cruelly punished. His crime? Giving bar mitzvah lessons. But ever loyal to his faith, he learns the true test of sacrifice.

The Avner Institute presents the following story full of miracles, showing not only the Divine spark within every Jew but the Rebbe’s help within the strangest of places. With special thanks to Rabbi Tuvia Litzman, author of Chassidic Gems.

Good Yom Tov
Menachem

The “Prophet” & the General

Eliahu Gabai was an outstanding pupil in high school back in 1986, a guy singled out for special training in the Israeli Air Force. Eventually he was inducted to train fighter pilots in flight-simulation machines.

But before beginning his service he met up with the unique Rabbi Reuven Dunin and became a Chabad Chassid. Rabbi Dunin himself had once been an atheist tractor driver from notoriously left-wing Haifa who had met up with Chabad Chassidim some years earlier. Clearly his enthusiasm was infectious.

Of course, all this had nothing to do with Eliahu's army service, which he performed diligently, but it did give him a greater sense of responsibility and the desire to make a difference. After all, the Lubavitcher Rebbe had taught that peace in the world would come only when the “Jewish spark” is revealed within each and every Jew. But Israeli society, especially the army, was cold to Judaism. Although there was a rabbi on every base, it was more a passive than active job.

Eliahu prayed for a miracle . . . and his prayers were answered.

On every air force base were (and still are) neighborhoods of pilots and their families, which naturally included boys approaching the age of bar mitzvah. Eliahu, well acquainted with a number of the pilots, was the obvious candidate to prepare their sons for what would be for many the only religious occasion in their lives.

The class began with seven boys, and Eliahu was thankful for that many. Nevertheless, the boys enjoyed the class; friends brought friends, and soon over seventy were meeting twice a week. A story Eliahu told about Eliahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) earned him the nickname “Eliahu HaNavi” and the group “the course of Elijah the Prophet.”

Eliahu wrote a letter to the Lubavitcher Rebbe reporting his success. It was like heaven on earth! But, as we know, heaven and earth aren't always compatible. Dark clouds soon gathered over the horizon!

One evening, the commander of this base, a general by the name of Ron Huldai (who later would become mayor of Tel Aviv), came home. “Hello,” he called out.

No reply. He caught sight of twelve-year-old son, Gad, standing silently in a corner, feet together, swaying back and forth and reading from a book.

The man approached the boy. “Hakol beseder? Is everything all right?”

The boy continued swaying, eyes on the book.

His mother entered and saw what was happening. “Nothing to worry about,” she explained. “A rabbi’s been coming to the base and giving bar mitzvah classes. He told the boys not to interrupt in the middle of prayer.”

“Prayer? Rabbi? On the base? In my house? Brainwashing my son?” The general screamed, “Who is this rabbi? How did he get here? Why didn’t anyone stop him?”

When the boy finally found a break in prayer, he told his father of “Eliahu Hanavi.” But because Eliahu always changed into civilian clothes before class, that was all the boy knew about him. Apparently prophets didn’t wear army badges or uniforms.

Immediately Huldai contacted the chief of security. “How dare you allow unauthorized personnel on the base,” he shouted.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the chief answered. So he yelled at the chaplain, who was also bewildered.

In desperation the chief summoned the commanding general of the entire air force. When told that the invading rabbi's name was "Elijah the Prophet," the general almost fell off his chair laughing.

The next step was a meeting with several other officers. When this didn't help, the chief decided to take things into his own hands. He lay in wait at the classroom, as the boys were entering, and the very next day caught the Elijah the Prophet red-handed.

When Eliahu revealed his identity, he was ordered to pack his bags and leave the base first thing the next morning. Heartbroken, he went home. Soon he started weeping, then fell asleep in exhaustion.

That night he had a dream. The Lubavitcher Rebbe appeared and asked him how things were going. When Eliahu burst out crying; the Rebbe approached, opened his coat, placed Eliahu's head inside, and covered it as if to say, “There is no need to worry.”

The next morning Eliahu received an envelope from New York containing two letters from the Rebbe. The first thanked him for the news about the classes and the second was the weekly Torah portion. Clearly, miracles were starting to happen.

He finished packing, left the base, and took a bus to central command where he was to be reassigned to a new location. The officer there examined his papers, scratched his head, and examined them again. “What is going on?”

Eliahu stammered, “What do you mean?”

“Why are they kicking you out?” The officer waved the papers around his head. “It will take me months to find someone to replace you! Why do I need headaches?” Scanning the papers again, he continued, “And I don't anything wrong. No problems with health, conduct, performance, attendance.”

He glared at Eliahu. “Nu, say something! Why are they expelling you?"

Eliahu had no choice but to tell him. “I taught children on the base Torah.”

“Torah?” The officer lapsed into thoughtful silence. After a while he leaned forward, narrowed his eyes and asked angrily, “Tell me, does this have anything to do with the Lubavitcher Rebbe?”

Eliahu nodded.

“If so,” the commander yelled, “they will kick me out before they kick you out. I'm sending you back! After the Rebbe saved my father's life I'm ready to do anything for him. Anything!”

He pounded his fist on the table with all his might. “Now you go back to your base and tell them I sent you!”

Eliahu couldn't believe his ears. This officer, who had appeared blatantly non-observant, suddenly transformed into a self-sacrificing Chassid.

“Thank for very much, sir,” Eliahu mumbled. “I’m very grateful someone is fighting for me. But I can’t help wondering . . . why?”

The officer scribbled something on Eliahu's papers and pushed them back to Eliahu on the table. Then he cleared his throat and began.

“About ten years ago my father awoke one morning to find he couldn't move his legs. We called a doctor and took my father to the hospital. The biggest medical team in Israel showed up, but after thorough testing they advised us to take him to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for expert treatment.

“We did what they said, but over there it was pretty much the same story. They made all kinds of tests but weren't sure what exactly to do, except make more tests.

“Meanwhile, a bunch of young religious kids came to ask people to lay tefillin. My father and I put on, we got to talking, and in no time these kids suggested taking my father to the farbrengen, some sort of happy meeting, of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in honor of the Chassidic holiday Yud Tes (19) Kislev.

"My father didn't exactly agree, but before we knew it they got a wheelchair and permission from a doctor. An hour later we were in this big synagogue in Brooklyn that was packed with people. The place was called ‘770.’

“They made way for my father’s wheelchair, and we got a place close to the Rebbe. My father said it was one of the happiest moments in his life; everyone was singing and smiling—exactly the opposite of the hospital.

“Suddenly the Rebbe gazed at my father and motioned l’chaim. Someone produced a small plastic cup with some vodka in it and he drank. It was bitter, maybe not even permissible in his state, but he figured one time wouldn’t hurt.

“But then the Rebbe motioned for him to stand and make another one. We tried to refuse, pointing to his wheelchair, but the Rebbe just kept signaling. Someone placed a hand under my father's arm, and with superhuman effort . . . he stood! And even more amazing, he didn't fall back down! From that moment he was on the road to recovery, and in a month or so he was totally healthy.”

The officer pointed to the door. “And now . . . go back to your base!”

Lasting Moment

Eliahu returned to his base, but with the warning never to teach the children again. Nevertheless, he was granted permission for one farewell meeting.

He gathered the boys around. “Children, remember how I told you that in the days of Rabbi Akiva there were harsh decrees against learning Torah? Well, now there is a similar decree on us. So we will do what the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe did and what
Rabbi Akiva did; they taught Torah 'underground'.”

When the boys murmured in excitement, Eliahu continued that once a week he would put a code in the corner of a certain blackboard on the base indicating where and when to meet. And so, for the next year, until he finished his service in the army, Jewish children overcame all obstacles and learned Torah . . . in the Holy Land. Occasionally, even today—over 25 years later—Eliahu runs into one of those “children” who tell him how his classes changed their lives.

How did the Rebbe React?

2011-10-05T09:38:00.001-04:00

6 Tishrei, 5725/1964. Watching his mother’s life ebb away, the Rebbe wept and prayed. He pleaded to heaven that her soul remain on earth; around him doctors fought to save her life. After over a twenty-year separation—during which the Rebbetzin shared with her husband a painful exile in Soviet Russia—the Rebbe had personally escorted her from postwar Paris to a new home in America. Now their time together was coming to an end. The Avner Institute presents the diary of Rabbi Levin, at the time a yeshiva student at 770, who recorded those sad, final days of the Rebbetzin’s life, the Rebbe’s deep grief, and the unfailing devotion that he carried to her grave.

The Rebbe Archive presents a photo of the Rebbe blessing congregants the eve of Yom Kippur.

Wishing everyone a gemar chasima tova and an easy fast,

Menachem

Shabbos Shuva, 6 Tishrei
At ten a.m., the Rebbe entered 770 for morning service. After the prayers began, the Rebbe kept looking to the side, as if waiting for someone or something. Rabbi Groner approached and spoke with him for a minute, then went to Rabbi Hadakov and then back to the Rebbe. As of now, no one knows what exactly is happening, but it seems as if something is wrong.

At 1:30 p.m., the Rebbe entered the shul for a farbrengen, during which Dr. Seligson spoke to him for a few minutes. After asking the Rebbe for his mother’s name, Dr. Seligson called out, “Chana bas Rochel l’refua shelaima—Chana, daughter of Rochel, for a speedy recovery.” It was then that the crowd understood.

As the farbrengen continued, the Rebbe explained the quote from the Ba’al Shem Tov, that the concealment of G-dliness in the time of Exile is itself hidden and not noticeable. The Rebbe began to sob, leaning his head on his hands—a frightening sight to behold.

Suddenly, the Rebbe crossed his hand over his forehead, and the cries immediately ceased. Later, while speaking about the non-Jews’ inability to obstruct G-d’s mitzvoth, the Rebbe began to cry again.

The farbrengen ended at 4:00 p.m. Reb Beryl Junik ran to Rebbetzin Chana’s house and found the Rebbetzin breathing heavily. When he approached her she grabbed his arm, saying, “Help me!” It seemed that she wanted to continue, but couldn’t. Reb Beryl hurried to 770 and told Dr. Seligson that Rebbetzin Chana’s condition had worsened, and the doctor hurried off.

After mincha, Reb Beryl told the Rebbe that his mother had asked to see him. The Rebbe rushed to his room, dropping off the handkerchiefs from his pocket, and continued to his mother’s house. He arrived to find his mother in critical condition, lying in pain and breathing with difficulty. The Rebbe approached her bedside and asked Reb Beryl to call two more doctors. Meanwhile, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, the Rebbe’s wife, arrived.

At first the Rebbe opposed sending his mother to the hospital, but after the two doctors, in addition to Dr. Seligson, agreed that it was vital, the Rebbe said, “Since this is the opinion of three doctors, I give in.” She was immediately placed in an ambulance, the Rebbe at her side.

As soon as the news reached 770, everyone sat down and recited Tehillim. Many people walked towards the hospital, along with a “Shabbos Goy” who carried a meal for the Rebbe.

At the hospital, the doctors did all they could but, after a while, emerged and told the Rebbe that they thought it was too late. When the Rebbe suggested a number of possible medical methods to save his mother’s life, the doctors promised to try. But, shortly later, the doctors again said that their efforts were to no avail. Once more, the Rebbe proposed ideas, but things did not get better.

At approximately six p.m., Rebbetzin Chana’s soul ascended in the presence of the Rebbe, who stood facing the window, his eyes heavenward. All was quiet; only every so often, the Rebbe let out a cry. Some of the people there, realizing the Rebbe had not yet eaten, offered him the meal that was brought, but the Rebbe refused and asked if there was a Rav present who could rule if eating the meal under such circumstances was permissible. Rabbi Groner approached, answering that he was a Rav and that the Rebbe should eat, but the Rebbe still refused. Instead, he asked if there was a Code of Jewish Law around. In the end, the Rebbe didn’t eat the meal.

The Rebbe asked if anyone from the Chevra Kadisha, burial society, were present, then asked for Rabbi Jacobson. Seeing all the pushing, the Rebbe said, “No one should push! Only those who have been in the mikvah today should enter the room to say Tehillim. The yeshiva students are here totally unnecessarily, and as for everyone else, there’s no reason to push; this is not a farbrengen.”

When Rabbi Y. Weinberg asked if he should announce the news of the passing on the radio, the Rebbe answered affirmatively. Rabbi Y. Jacobson and Rabbi E. Simpson of the Chevra Kadisha arrived and asked everyone to leave the room, except for some of the elder Chassidim.

At the end of the Sabbath, the Rebbe asked if anyone present had a prayer book, but no one did. After ma’ariv, the Rebbe said Kaddish. An hour later, Rebbetzin Chana was brought to her home. Before leaving the house, the Rebbe asked that a quorum of ten Jews remain there for the night.

7 Tishrei
At eight a.m., the Rebbe emerged from his house. The funeral procession was immediately called for at eleven. At 9:15 a.m., the Rebbe left his room and joined the minyan for Kaddish after Shir shel Yom. During the recitation, the Rebbe cried slightly.

At 11:05 a.m., the Rebbe, bag full of seforim in hand, was driven to his mother’s house. The funeral began straightaway, the Rebbe following closely behind the coffin. When the Rebbe noticed a photographer videoing the scene, he angrily motioned with his hand to stop doing so. The Rebbe gazed at the coffin until it was placed in the hearse, then asked if anyone knew where the plastic mat was (seemingly, the one onto which some blood had spilled) and a certain piece of wood. When those nearby answered that all had been arranged, the Rebbe appeared quite satisfied.

The procession continued by foot through Kingston Avenue onto 770, and from there to the cemetery. On the way, the Rebbe asked repeatedly, “Why are the students here?” The Rebbe also asked that the women not follow after the coffin.

During the burial, the Rebbe asked, “Where is the plastic?” Everyone was asked to search, but to no avail. The Rebbe apparently found this disturbing. Seeing so much pushing, he cried, “Leave me alone, why all the pushing? I see that I’m forced to keep order by myself! There is no mitzvah to push.” The Rebbe tried to make his way back to the car to see if the plastic was possibly there, but could not, due to all the commotion. In the end, however, the plastic was found.

After covering the grave, the Rebbe said some Tehillim and the Kaddish, but wept so much that he could not finish. The entire crowd, including rabbis and leaders, felt a deep sense of mourning.

Lines were then formed. The Rebbe removed his shoes and asked that students not participate. While passing by the Ohel, the Rebbe walked inside for two minutes, and after exiting, entered the car to be driven to his mother’s house.

Throughout the formal days of mourning, a lottery was arranged to determine who would participate in the Rebbe’s minyan. After the first afternoon service, the congregation passed by the Rebbe to offer condolences. The Rebbe, noticing students among them, darted them a startling glance, as if to ask, “What are they doing here?”

8 Tishrei
Morning service began at ten. Throughout the prayers, the Rebbe cried occasionally. Rabbi Z. Katzman, who was called to the Torah for the birth of a daughter, asked the Rebbe if she could be named after the Rebbe’s mother. The Rebbe agreed and blessed her with a long life (later sending sixty-three dollars, the numeric equivalent of “Chana”).

Throughout the day, many distinguished individuals came to visit the Rebbe. After evening service, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka came to the house.

Erev Yom Kippur
The Rebbe did not distribute the traditional honeycake, but it was rumored that he would do so on Hoshana Rabba. Following the afternoon service, the Rebbe rose and asked that a minyan take place in the house for each service throughout Yom Kippur.

At six the Rebbe went to the mikvah, then entered his room for a bit. Leaving while his face was covered with his prayer shawl, he blessed the students standing there.

The Rebbe went to the main sanctuary, stood up on a table, and chanted a blessing to all present. The relatively small crowd could not hear the Rebbe very well, since he spoke with closed eyes and many tears. When Rabbi Hadakov told this to the Rebbe, the Rebbe climbed onto the table a second time and repeated the blessing, word for word.

A Student from Paris Meets the Rebbe

2011-09-21T09:03:00.005-04:00

The immortal quote of Rabbi Akiva is the cornerstone of Chabad philosophy. Into the Rebbe’s office walked Jews of every stripe, from the insular ultra-Orthodox to the ignorant secular, to meet with the Rebbe and receive his tireless attention.

The Avner Institute presents the following audience with Yosef, a Sorbonne professor and returnee to Judaism, which displays the Rebbe’s heartfelt concerns not only toward the newly observant but toward all members of the “Jewish nation.” Special thanks to Rabbi Yosef Gurevitch for his reminiscence of the encounter.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Gurevitch relates:

Yosef waited outside the office alone, an island of Western attire amid a sea of long black coats. The bearded men who swirled around him, running errands for 770 or preparing for prayers, were still a novelty in his new life – a life he had forged, still hesitantly, after years of wandering. He guessed that quite a few were rabbis or Torah scholars. Although even in his secular days he had shown rabbis proper respect, he had kept a distance. To him rabbis were a separate species.

But this rabbi was different. Famous, in fact, the world over. That’s what the follower said, the emissary in Yosef’s native France who urged Yosef to cross the Atlantic. Maybe it was the singing and dancing at the emissary’s little Chabad synagogue, the relaxed atmosphere inside the sanctuary. Or maybe it was holiness surrounding the Shabbos meal that had first attracted Yosef to the beauty of Judaism. But he came back again, then again, until he had become one of that congregation’s permanent members.

While at the center, later the yeshiva, Yosef had become intrigued by the writings of this rabbi. And now Yosef was lucky, the emissary said, to get to meet such a famous rabbi face to face.

As he waited outside, he mentally rehearsed the questions, pondering their potential interpretation. He looked up and caught the motioning hand of the Rebbe’s secretary to summon him inside.

He entered the office shyly, standing before a desk behind which was a massive bookcase. He expected somewhat a more severe environment, but instead was put at ease by the kindly visage peering at him from behind the oaken desk.

“Bonsoir,” said Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. “What can I do for you?”

Yosef was startled to hear the Rebbe address him in French, rather than Yiddish. Don’t all these rabbis speak only Yiddish? But then he remembered the emissary’s saying that the Lubavitcher Rebbe had lived in Paris before the war and even studied at the Sorbonne.

Yosef sat down. He gazed at the walls, surprised to find them bare. “I am accustomed to visiting Lubavitcher homes,” he mumbled in French, “and in all of them I have seen pictures of you on the wall. Is displaying a picture of the Rebbe a Lubavitcher custom?”

“If a large picture bothers you, then a small one is fine,” the Rebbe replied in the same language. “But if even a small picture bothers you, then don’t bother putting up any at all.”

Yosef, impressed by the Rebbe’s modesty, sensed nevertheless a power which derived from a source far higher than human photography. Feeling more at ease, he described to the Rebbe his exploration of the tradition, which exposed him to the amazing diversity of Jewish practice.

“I have visited many different Jewish communities,” he continued, “and I have found that each one has a particular mitzvah or custom on which they place a stronger emphasis than on others. This had me wondering: what mitzvah should I personally choose and take extra measures to fulfill?”

“You do not have to search and discern which mitzvah is more important,” the Rebbe quickly answered. “Instead, you must fulfill all the mitzvoth without any exception.”

Yosef nodded, then continued describing his travels through Jewish life. “In the many communities I have visited, I have found that often one community might be jealous of another.”

At this point the Rebbe fixed his gaze at the visitor. “There is nothing wrong with one community’s observation of another—as long as the purpose is to emulate the other’s growth and development, and to apply and integrate the other’s benefits. But to regard another community with jealousy is absolutely forbidden.”

“I have a feeling sometimes that the love of your Chassidim towards you in Paris is . . . a bit exaggerated?” Yosef ventured.

The Rebbe shrugged. “Nu, what can I do? I myself love every single Jew.” He chuckled. “Now, perhaps that you might call exaggerated.”

“How does the Rebbe know how to answer every Jew who asks him a question?” Yosef pressed. “Some of these people the Rebbe had never met before. Where does the Rebbe get his understanding?”

The Rebbe leaned forward. “In every human being’s life, not everything goes so smoothly. Life has its ups and downs, and problems arise. So what does a healthy person do? He will go to a friend, someone he feels will know what is best for him and want to see him improve. He will share his problems with this friend or person, and then, based on the advice given to him, he will, it is hoped, improve himself from there.”

The Rebbe continued sternly, “It is written: VeAhavta leReacha kamocha – love every Jew as yourself. You must love every member of the nation of Israel with unconditional love.”
There was the proverbial dramatic pause, for further emphasis. Then the Rebbe smiled.

“I hope you consider me as a member of the Jewish nation. Therefore, I love every single Jew with the greatest love in the world. So when a Jew asks me a question, knowing how much I love and care for him, I know what to answer.”

The Rebbe's Secretary Speaks

2011-09-14T10:45:00.004-04:00

“Patience,” said Benjamin Franklin, “is a virtue.” The Rebbe’s was tested many times—be it audiences, dollar lines, or even strange questions, such as whether the Rebbe could ever make a mistake.

The Avner Institute presents three inspiring stories, related recently by the Rebbe’s secretary Rabbi Binyomin Klein, who witnessed firsthand the Rebbe’s remarkable grace under fire.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Klein relates:

One of the things we can learn from the Rebbe is patience. The Rebbe’s patience for every Jew was astounding: whenever he gave out dollars for charity hundreds, and even thousands, of people passed by in line and on the spot told him their problems and whatever was on their minds.

The Rebbe never interrupted anyone. He always allowed the person to finish talking and only then responded. There were those who repeated themselves, thinking that the Rebbe did not understand them, but the Rebbe always heard them out.

The Rebbe’s time was extremely precious; nevertheless, he always listened. He never “kicked anyone out” of his office, even if the visitor was a total pain.

“It’s late. The Rebbe needs to go home.”

A woman once came for a private audience at the time allotted. Because she willingly let others go ahead of her, she became the last person for the evening. She started talking to the Rebbe, but it didn’t look as though she planned on finishing anytime soon.

It was very late, but the Rebbe continued to listen. Having no choice, we went in and told her: It’s late. The Rebbe needs to go home. But she continued talking.

When the yechidus ended, the Rebbe stood up. He answered her as he took his coat from the nearby alcove and got ready to leave. Still, she continued talking. When the Rebbe walked out of his office she followed him right out the building, still talking. As soon as the Rebbe got home, he called the office and asked that two yeshiva students escort her by taxi to her home and that the secretaries pay for it.

“A Rebbe does not err.”

Many years ago, a group of students visited the Rebbe. When told that the spirit of G-d spoke from the Rebbe’s throat, one of them exclaimed, “Does that mean the Rebbe never makes a mistake?”

When they entered the Rebbe’s room, one of them asked the Rebbe pointblank, “If the Rebbe never makes a mistake, why does he have an eraser on his pencil?”

The Rebbe quietly answered, “A Rebbe does not err, but today he is greater than yesterday and today he adds to what was written yesterday. In other words, it’s not in order to erase a mistake, but to erase what was correct yesterday. Today he is of a different, higher stature.”

“I will never finish.”

We saw this with the Rebbe when he edited his discourses. Whenever one was brought to him, the Rebbe worked on the editing for several hours, sometimes four or more. Afterwards he phoned the secretaries to come and take the pages to the editors and from there to the printer.

Sometimes, after going in, we waited in the room for another three quarters of an hour as the Rebbe continued to add and correct. Once, on such an occasion, the Rebbe told me, “Take this to the printer because otherwise I will never finish.”

After all the corrections were made, the discourse was submitted a second time. Once again, the Rebbe made corrections, because he was adding fresh new insights.

See how far you can go?

2011-09-07T08:51:00.004-04:00

The power of outreach. On Friday afternoon young Chabad students can be seen all over town, distributing candles, talking to strangers, and doing anything possible to light the Jewish spark.

The Avner Institute presents a fascinating encounter with an Israeli dentist, who describes to two young visitors how he made his way back to Torah, and how the Rebbe's campaign set the ball rolling.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

It was Friday afternoon in Haifa, a notoriously left-wing city where workers would be soon leaving their desks, not for home or synagogue, but for cinemas and nightclubs. Nevertheless, two young students Yitzchok Levin and Ayal Blau, from Yeshivat Migdal Emek faithfully combed the main street, as they did every week, in search of outreach activity. Since it was the Friday before 3 Tammuz, the anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the students decided to extend their route in order to reach even more Jews and lay tefillin, the phylacteries worn by men during prayer.

That is how they learned the following story.

“I noticed a huge office building,” Yitzchok began, “and we decided to go in, even though it was almost Shabbos. As soon as we entered the first floor, I noticed an open dentist’s office. We walked in and saw the dentist sitting and talking on the phone.

“Just one look at him made us nervous. Those who go on outreach regularly know this type a mile away. You could see the angry eyes and the way he was getting ready to curse us out.

“Well, what we were afraid of came to pass. As soon as he finished his phone conversation, he bombarded us with questions, in an angry and even demeaning tone.

“We weren’t scared off, though. We’re used to reactions like this. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost Shabbos. As the man was plainly only listening to himself, I motioned to my friend to leave.

“We were standing on the threshold when suddenly Ayal turned toward the dentist and shouted in the same number of decibels, ‘Hey, Jew! You’ve been in this world for forty years now. You eat and sleep, but what’s with your soul? You think you’re yelling at us, but you are really yelling at the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who has helped thousands of Jews do good deeds!’ And he went on in this vein.

“In my mind’s eye I could picture the dentist getting up and hitting us, but that’s not what happened. When he heard the Rebbe’s name, he trembled, his face fell, and an uncomfortable look flashed in his eyes.

“After my friend finished his tirade, the dentist said in surprise, ‘Oh, you’re from the Lubavitcher Rebbe!?’ His voice was so calm and quiet that we wondered if this could really be the same man we had just been talking to!

“`Sit down," he said. ‘You probably think I don’t know your Rebbe. Listen, and I’ll tell you who the Lubavitcher Rebbe is.’

“The anger in our hearts immediately changed to curiosity. We sat down and the dentist began his tale.”

I grew up in Vienna, and my sole connection with Judaism was through the Zionist youth movement in our city. After I finished school I moved here, to Israel, and was drafted. During the Six-Day War I served as a combat officer on the front.

In the course of my work as a dentist, I got to know a religious girl from Boro Park who was visiting here. We stayed in touch even after she returned home. At some point I returned to Vienna.

A few months went by and with her agreement, I decided to go to New York in order to meet her and ask her parents for her hand in marriage. I visited her home. Her parents were gracious, but when I left the house, the father came out with me. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he said I must break up with his daughter.

“You don’t deserve to be my son-in-law,” he declared.

I was shocked. I truly wondered what was wrong with me. After all, I was a dentist, an officer, an Israeli, tall and good-looking, making nice money—in short, I had it all.

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on,” I thought sadly. “Other people would be proud to have a son-in-law like me. Not only that, but if I married his daughter, she would get me to become religious.”

I was still thinking this over when my cousin Yaakov, with whom I was staying in America, appeared. Seeing me upset, he asked what was wrong, and I told him what had just happened.

He brightened. “Listen, not far from here lives a great rabbi who everybody talks about. Maybe you should visit him and he can explain what happened, or maybe he would even agree to convince the father.”

A few weeks later I met with the Rebbe. The Rebbe listened with great interest as I told him at length about the area where I grew up, the Jewish community, my army service, and then finally, the reason I was there. I told the Rebbe about our desire to marry and the father’s veto.

When I finished my story, the Rebbe told me to get up. To my surprise he looked me over in satisfaction and said, “I’m pleased. Until now I was pleased. Now I’m even more pleased.”
Having no idea what the Rebbe was talking about, I waited for him to continue.

The Rebbe began by explaining that in the Jewish America of today there was unprecedented assimilation and intermarriage. People practically gave no thought as to the nationality or religion of their future spouses.

“Now,” said the Rebbe, “if somebody were to tell me that an observant Jew took a dentist, who was also an officer and a nice-looking fellow, despite the fact that he was not observant, for a son-in-law, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. But when you tell me that here, in America, there are Jews who consider the Torah more important than the honor they would get when people heard they got ‘a young man from Eretz Yisroel,’ I am very pleased.

"That’s why I asked you to stand up—so I could see how tall you are and how well-built. To believe that a Jew from Boro Park gave you up despite all your good qualities—just because he wants an observant man for his daughter!”

I was in shock. I had come to tell the Rebbe my sorry tale, and here the Rebbe was telling me he was happy about it!

Despite what the Rebbe had said thus far, I kept trying. “Rebbe! Who knows? Maybe if I marry her, I would try to live more like she does, and I would even return to the faith. Why shouldn’t I get a chance?”

The Rebbe answered with a parable. “There are two friends—one on the top of a mountain where there are plenty of delicious fruits, and one on the bottom of the mountain without fruits. The one on top tosses a few fruits down to the one on the bottom, and when the one on the bottom tastes them he sees how good they are. With his friend’s help, he makes it to the top of the mountain. But this happened only because the one on the bottom tasted the fruits and saw how good they were. If he hadn’t tasted them, he would never have made the attempt to climb to the summit.”

The Rebbe gazed at me penetratingly and said, “You’re not even willing to lift 200 grams, and you want to be a Boro Parker?”

I wracked my brains trying to figure out what the Rebbe was referring to when he said “you won’t even lift 200 grams,” but came up with nothing. Had I tried to lift something weighing 200 grams and not succeeded?

With that the yechidus ended, and I left both confused and disappointed. Meanwhile my cousin was still waiting outside, and I told him what the Rebbe had said.

“I had no idea what the Rebbe was referring to when he said I couldn’t even lift 200 grams,” I explained.

Yaakov pondered it over for a few seconds and then jumped up. “Tell me, do you lay tefillin every morning?’

"No, I don’t. I’ve never even given it a second thought.”

"Nu,” Yaakov declared, “that’s what the Rebbe meant! You’re not even willing to lay 200 grams of tefillin on you. So what makes you think you’ll change your lifestyle and fulfill all 613 mitzvoth simply because you’re marrying someone?

“First, start doing mitzvoth on your own—just basic things like tefillin—and then with her help or the help of a good friend, see how far you can go.”

This time it was my turn to get excited. “What a Rebbe! How wise he is!”

Sometime later, I married a religious girl and thank G-d, we have three children, all yeshiva graduates. The first is named Menachem, like the Rebbe, of course. My daughter leads a religious life, and even though I still have a lot to work on personally, whatever I do have is in the merit of that yechidus.

“We sat and listened to his story,” concluded Yitzchok, “and when he finished I asked him, ‘Nu, after a story like that about 200 grams, are you still not ready to put on tefillin?’

“The dentist looked at me slyly and said with a smile, ‘Since that yechidus, my morning exercise consists of lifting 200 grams on my arm.”

How to deal with Anxiety?

2011-08-31T09:00:00.002-04:00

Depressed? Worried? A sufferer of anxiety writes desperately to the Rebbe for advice. The Avner Institute presents the Rebbe’s letter of reply, where he calmly delivers the best medicine: trust in G-d—how everything happens for the best, the world run accordingly to His plan—and our own, special role to perfect the world through Torah and mitzvoth. With special thanks to Rabbi Sholom Mendel, of the Rebbe’s secretariat.

The Rebbe Archive presents a newly released photo of the Rebbe returning to 770 after the visit of then president of Israel, Zalman Shazar, Purim 5731/1971.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
26 Teves 5725
Brooklyn, NY

Greeting and Blessing:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter with the enclosure, in which you write about your problem of acute anxiety, and ask my advice.

The best and most effective thing to do, in a situation such as yours, is to study thoroughly those sections and chapters in our sacred books where the matter of Divine Providence and bitachon are discussed, such as Chovos Halvovos, Shaar Habitachon, and similar. It is well to keep in mind those chapters and verses in the Tehillim which speak of these subjects, as well as the Midrashim and interpretations of our Sages on them. These things should be studied with such depth that they should become a part of one’s thinking. In this way there will be no room left for any kind of anxiety or worry, and as King David said in the Tehillim, “G-d is with me, I shall not fear. What can man do unto me!”

As you well know, the matter of hashgocho protis is the basis of true monotheism, a concept which to us means not only that G-d is One, but that there is oneness in the whole of nature. In other words, the whole universe has one Supreme Being, Who not only is the Creator of everything, but also is the Master, continually supervising every detail of his handiwork. The corollary of this is that there cannot be a single point in the whole order of the world which is separated from the Supreme Being, or in any way not subject to His control. At the same time it is obvious that the Supreme Being is also the Essence of Perfection and Goodness.

And although many things in the world seem imperfect, and require completion or perfection, there can be no doubt that there is a perfect order in the world, and even the lowest in the scale of Creation, namely the inanimate things, display wonderful perfection and symmetry, as can be seen from the atoms and molecules of inorganic matter. Hence, the conclusion must be that even those things which require completion are also part of the perfect order and necessary for the fulfillment of the good, as all this is explained at length in the teachings of Chassidus.

It is explained there that in order for a man to attain perfection, it is necessary that he should also have the feeling that he is not only on the receiving end, but also a contributor, and according to the expression of our Sages of blessed memory, “A partner in the Creation.” This is why things have been left in the world for him to improve and perfect.

I also want to make the further observation, and this is also essential, that there is really no basis for anxiety at any time, and as you yourself mentioned in your letter, that you find no reason for it. Even in such cases where you think you know the reason for your anxiety, the reason is undoubtedly imaginary, or at any rate, not the real cause. For the real cause is that one’s daily life is not in complete harmony with the true essence of a Jew. In such a case it is impossible not to have an awkward feeling that things do not seem to fit somehow, and it is this disharmony which is at the bottom of the anxiety, and it is in proportion to the discrepancy between his way of life and his true natural self.

Everybody recognizes that anxiety has to do with the psyche. But in the case of a Jew, the so-called psyche is really the neshama. Some Jews have a particularly sensitive soul, in which case the abovementioned disharmony would create a greater anxiety. In such a case even subtle and “minor” infractions of didukei mitzvoth would create anxiety. But even in the case of an ordinary soul of the average Jew, there must inevitably be created some anxiety if there is a failure to observe the fundamental mitzvoth. It is very possible that the above may have a bearing on your situation. If this is so, then all that is necessary is to rectify matters, and bring the daily life and conduct into complete harmony with the essence of the soul, through strict adherence to the Torah and mitzvoth. Then the symptoms will disappear of themselves.

It is necessary to mention also that in your case, where your position gives you a great deal of influence on your environment, your influence is an integral part of your harmonious life, and it is therefore essential that your influence, too, should be in harmony with the Torah and mitzvoth in the fullest measure.

I suggest that you should also have the mezuzoth of your home checked, as also your tefillin, and before putting on your tefillin every weekday morning, to put aside a small coin for tzedakah.

Hoping to hear good news from you in regard to all the matters discussed above.

With blessing,

[signature]

P.S. As for the question of seeing me personally in connection with this year’s occurrence, the calendar of appointments is filled to capacity and for a long time in advance. But the important thing is that it is not at all necessary for you to take the trouble and time to see me personally, inasmuch as all I could tell you is what I wrote to you above.

Did The Rebbe Serve in the Army?

2011-08-24T08:15:00.003-04:00

What brought the Rebbe’s father to tears? Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson (1878-1944) served as chief rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk with unwavering piety, even under the harshest repression.

The Avner Institute presents the following encounter, where Rabbi Levi Pressman, of blessed memory, describes the daring act of his father-in-law that saved the future Lubavitcher Rebbe from Soviet hands. With special thanks to Rabbi Tuvia Litzman.

Good Shabbos

Menachem

Ben-Tzion Goldschmidt would never have called himself a holy man, but his actions, as well as fervor, would have placed him in a close enough category. At least according to the chief rabbi of his town, Levi Yitzchak Schneerson. For Reb Goldschmidt a respected shochet, ritual slaughterer, was unquestionably pious. Even under the harsh new Soviet regime he remained defiantly Torah observant, just like the chief rabbi.

Once when the shochet came to visit the chief rabbi, he found Rabbi Schneerson weeping.

“What’s wrong?” Reb Goldschmidt asked.

The rabbi explained, “There is a Jew here, an informer who is trying to blackmail me.”

“Blackmail you?” Reb Goldschmidt exclaimed. “Why?”

Apparently in order to keep his son out of the Soviet army, and its dangerously secularizing influences, Rabbi Schneerson had been forced to pay large sums of money to this particular individual. However, this time the man had demanded an impossibly high sum.

“There is no telling what he might do,” Rabbi Schneerson said. “He might turn my son in.”

Bristling, the slaughterer demanded the man’s name and appearance. Shortly later he found this rogue at the synagogue, in the middle of prayer service. As the latter was chanting prayers, no doubt as a ruse to blend in, he caught the slaughterer’s stern look.

Motioning with his hands, Reb Goldschmidt signed that he wished to speak with him after the service.

The service soon ended. As the worshippers filed out, the informer approached the shochet, who abruptly grabbed him by the lapels and almost dragged him into a side room.

He drew out from his bag a long slaughtering knife. “See this?” he barked.
The informer nodded.

Reb Goldschmidt inched closer, practically breathing down the man’s neck. “If you ever make anymore attempts to squeeze money from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, I shall personally take this knife and slit your throat. Do you hear me?”

Again the other nodded.

Reb Goldschmidt added, “And I don’t care if I rot in jail!”

Eyes wide with terror, the blackmailer backed away from the slaughterer, towards the exit. Once outside the man fled the building, and in fact, the entire town, never again to return.

When Rabbi Levi Yitzchak heard what had happened, he embraced the shochet:

“I owe you in this world and in the World-To-Come.”

This world was repaid many times over by Reb Goldschmidt’s courage. Because the son he had helped spare from service in the Red Army was none other than the future Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

A moving Diary About the Rebbe - Summer 1950

2011-08-17T09:05:00.003-04:00

A daughter in critical condition. A son forced to shave his beard. Even before officially stepping into his late father-in-law’s role, the Rebbe faced many challenges.

The Avner Institute presents two anecdotes by Rabbi Berel Junik, who merited a close relationship with the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin and who in his diary recorded that summer of 1950 the issues already landing at the Rebbe’s desk and the Rebbe’s careful analysis.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

“Eighteen” Means “Life”

Wednesday, 13 Menachem Av 5710/July 27, 1950:

It was crowded that day at 770, with the congregation in the midst of morning service. Suddenly a middle-aged Jew burst in, crying, “Help me! Please! My daughter is in trouble!” That very moment his daughter lay in the hospital, where she had been enduring labor pains for over twenty-four hours.
A yeshiva student Dovber Junik approached him, holding out a pair of tefillin, and asked, “May I?”

The bewildered man held out his arm. He let the student lay the tefillin, then guide him through the morning service. Afterwards, he was brought by the student to the Rebbe, before whom the anguished father poured out his heart.

The Rebbe answered, “You must immediately say Psalm 71, the chapter of my father-in-law. Then give $1.80 to charity--ten times eighteen, which means ‘life.’ Your daughter must agree to put coins in the charity box every Friday night before candlelighting.”

The man listened intently, while the Rebbe commanded, “You must do this as quickly as possible, so that your daughter will merit an easy, healthy birth.”

As the man was escorted from the Rebbe’s office, the Rebbe concluded:

“Please call me and let me know what happens!”

The Rebbe repeated his instructions to Dovber Junik, having him relay them to the man and again stressing the urgency. “If only he had told me already by afternoon,” the Rebbe sighed. “He should tell his daughter right away about the charity on Erev Shabbos. This is not a trivial matter—this is most relevant!”

Around eleven p.m. the Rebbe asked if the man had called. When told no, he gave instructions to phone him. Dovber dialed and finally got through.

“My daughter is fine,” the man answered. “And thank G-d, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl! My new granddaughter!”

When Dovber brought the happy news to the Rebbe, the latter commented, “The man must have been very confused, since he forgot to call me, as I had asked.”

Nevertheless, the Rebbe’s face beamed with satisfaction. “But I am delighted over the news. Mazel tov!”

A Time of War

Sunday, 16 Menachem Av 5710/July 30, 1950:

It was only a month after the outbreak of the conflict in Korea. But times were tense even in Brooklyn, the other side of the world, where a student awaited his private audience outside the new Rebbe’s office.

Standing nervously in the hall, the young man watched the retinue of secretaries, scholars, and other visitors hurried past him. At last he was ushered inside.

Immediately he asked, “Rebbe, what should I do?” Apparently his parents, who had just arrived in Crown Heights, demanded that he shave off his beard.

The Rebbe answered quietly, “Since we are now approaching the month of Elul, when we increase in the reciting of Psalms and currently we fear there will be a war, this is definitely not the time, G-d forbid, to remove one’s beard. All this would apply even if you came from a city where the local Jews don’t grow beards, and it most surely applies to a city where Jews do grow beards. And especially since there are Lubavitcher members here, you must continue to grow your beard. You should have brought your parents here, and I would have spoken with them directly about this matter.”

The Rebbe concluded with a blessing for a successful journey and his desire to hear good news.

Rebbe, does my Son have to Grow a beard?

2011-08-03T09:02:00.002-04:00

Why is the beard so important to many Jews? Especially a beard that is untrimmed? The following is a letter to a mother who, upset over her son’s decision to grow a beard, receives the Rebbe’s praise of her son’s character and the Rebbe’s insights on the beard within Jewish law.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
16 Kislev 5744
Brooklyn, NY

Blessing and Greeting:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Nov. 14, in which you write about your son.

First of all, let me congratulate you and your husband on having been blessed with a son who stands firm on his principles and is not swayed by convention and the like. It is no small achievement for a Jew—and one who is a minority within a minority at that—to have the strength of character and conviction, where it would be so much easier to follow the crowd.

Especially in this day and age of tremendous upheavals, when so many young people are just drifting, without a firm foothold in life. Jewish parents who have been blessed with children who are unshakably rooted in, and proud of, their Jewishness, should surely thank G-d for it every day. There is no need to elaborate on the obvious.

The above is also my response to what you consider to be a problem, which to my way of thinking, based on experience of many similar cases, is really a blessing.

To be sure, there are Orthodox circles (such as Young Israel, for instance) in which wearing a beard is not considered obligatory. On the other hand, there are those who not only grow a beard, but will not even trim it. I know from experience that is highly inadvisable to pressure a young man who has strong convictions in regard to religious values. To dislodge a brick may sometimes disturb the whole structure. Even if there is the slightest doubt about the consequence, it would be prudent to leave it alone.

Be it remembered that Jews who do not trim their beards are doing it out of conviction, not caprice, fad, or the like. They consider it a sacred Torah precept. This is no reflection on those who follow a different authoritative rabbinic view. (Historically there have been legitimate differences within the Halacha as to how certain mitzvoth should be performed.) But it would not be right—for the above reasons and others—to use pressure in matters and principle and time-honored practices, or to even interfere.

Within you and yours a bright and inspiring Chanukah,

With blessing,

[signature]

Rebbe, Is Making Aliyah a Must?

2011-07-19T10:35:00.000-04:00

Is Aliyah the only “way”? Shouldn’t every Jew simply pack his bags and move to Israel?

The Avner Institute presents an insightful reply to a professor who, depressed over his inability to live in the Holy Land, learns the Rebbe’s views on immigration, and why, for many in the modern age, the Diaspora may be the best thing.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

B”H

21 Adar II 5738
Brooklyn, NY

Prof. Zeev
1601 Spring Valley Rd.
Golden Valley, MN 55422

Sholom u’Brocho:

I am in receipt of your letter, written on Purim, and in view of its contents I hasten to reply to it ahead of turn and via Special Delivery.

Following the order in your letter, I will refer to your problem of finding yourself and your wife in a depression “from the disappointment of not following through with our dreams of going to Israel.”

It is surely unnecessary to emphasize to you again that the only reason for my opinion that you ought to continue in the USA is that American Jewry, and especially the younger generation, have a priority claim on your services to help permeate them with Yiddishkeit, especially after you have had such considerable hatzlocho [success] in this area.

To be sure, the yishuv [community] in Eretz Yisroel would also benefit from your presence there, but it would not be of the same scope and quality as here. Furthermore, making aliyah [immigration] requires a certain period of adjustment and getting the proper feel of the new situation, etc., and in the present “Jet Age” every minute is of the essence, especially insofar as youth is concerned.

All the above is coupled with the consideration that doing the proper thing is the channel for contentment and inner peace and G-d’s blessings also in all personal affairs.

Pursuant to the above, my advice was further predicated on the assumption that the activities can be carried out with joy and gladness of heart, which is essential if the objectives are to be attained in fullest measure, and certainly not in a state of depression or feeling of imposition. There is no need to belabor the point to an experienced communal worker like yourself.

In light of all that has been said above—if, for any reason, the disappointment of your unfulfilled dreams of going to Eretz Yisroel creates a different situation from that I have envisaged, then of course, my advice to stay would be pointless and out of place. To put it simply, if after several months of continuing with your work here, if you still find that you cannot “snap out” of the depression, and if the reason behind it is none other than the unfulfilled dream, then, of course, you have my blessing to go to Eretz Yisroel and do what you can there.

Should you, however, decide that the cause of the present depression is after all not really the above, and hence can be eliminated, restoring you back to your former state of good cheer and confidence to be able to carry on your hafatza [outreach] activities with joy and gladness of heart—then, the second problem mentioned in your letter—the question of a house—has to be tackled.

Inasmuch as our Sages declare that “a nice dwelling broadens a person’s mind” and is conducive to greater achievements both in personal and communal affairs, you should look for a suitable house in a suitable section. As for selling all your assets, this is not advisable, nor necessary. I have at my disposal a fund for such special situations, and a loan gladly would be made available to you for the full amount that you may require to enable you to purchase a nice dwelling, as above. You may set your own terms of repayment at your convenience. As I do not wish to be involved in a hetter iska, [leniency] the loan would have to be interest-free. It would create no hardship for anyone, and you need not hesitate about it, at all.

Since your letter was written on Purim and the reply is Erev Shabbos Mevorchim Nissan, both of which are occasions for simcha [joy], may there always be true joy in your home and, to quote the Megillah, “light, joy, gladness and honor” in every sense of these terms.

With blessing,

[signature]

David Ben Gurion and the Rebbe & New Photo 1944

2011-06-29T10:06:00.004-04:00

1948. The new nation Israel was fighting for her life. Resources low, Arab armies at all sides, Prime Minister David Ben Gurion was forced to take strategic action.

The Avner Institute presents the riveting narrative by Rabbi Menachem Porush, obm, late chairman of Agudath Yisrael, who discusses with the Rebbe the impossible military situation facing the Prime Minister, the spiritual considerations guiding him, and the miracle that followed.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Porush Relates:

Often, I had opportunities to discuss various topics with the founder of the modern State of Israel, Prime Minister Ben Gurion. Having fought the many battles and survived the countless political deadlocks that had been necessary for the nascent nation to emerge, Ben Gurion was a fascinating person to speak to, his perspective of historical events unlike any other. During one of those conversations, I asked him:

"Which would you say was the most difficult moment for you as a leader and politician, throughout your entire career?"

“When we announced the establishment of the state of Israel, in the midst of chaotic battles waged on several fronts, we did not have the most vital of military equipment, guns,"

Ben Gurion answered, after considering the various possibilities. "After endless agony, we were finally able to obtain a miniscule cache of guns, procured from a reluctant Russia. Incapable of supplying all the troops with proper artillery, we would have to make a tortuous choice which of our valiant comrades, all contributing their entire energies to a venerable cause, should receive the goods.

“Each commander, many of them close friends of mine, vying for his men, had his own reasoning why it was imperative that the guns be directed to them. My friends from the Galilee, locked in battle over strategic enemy positions, while outnumbered and understaffed, came to me and cried, 'While you sit here in safety, our best young men are falling, lacking the most basic weapons. Give us guns, so we can protect this land, or all will be lost.'

"From Central Command in Tel Aviv, endeavoring to withhold hostile forces from completely overrunning the heart of the country, came the besieged Hagana leaders, who demanded, 'We must have more equipment; the majority of our civilian population are under incessant fire, and without stocking our depleted stockpiles, we will be compelled to surrender.'

"Harassed and fatigued, the generals from the Negev arrived next, pleading for every morsel of warfare they could receive, 'If you don't supply us with adequate arms, we will be powerless against the armies invading the South, putting at risk all of the inhabitants of the land.'

"Finally, following these groups, a contingency appeared, representing the gallant but beleaguered soldiers defending the ancient capital, Jerusalem. Heads drooping on their tattered uniforms and shoulders slouching under the heavy weight of battle, they lifted their weary eyes and simply said, 'You must replenish our empty storehouses if we are to continue guarding our holy city. Although there may not be many Jews in the city, it is crucial to the future of the nation that it remain in our hands; for Jerusalem is the essential spirit and central organism of our people, and Israel having lost Jerusalem would be like a body without a head.'

"I was faced with a moral quandary, and this was the toughest decision in my life; how can one make such a choice? Who is to decide which region is more vital and which people best deserve to live? His anguish inconceivable, a leader is forced to make such a judgment of one man over another. In the end, unable to reach a logical compromise, I allowed my emotional instincts to override strategic concerns; the argument about Jerusalem's centrality in Jewish religion and history prevailed, and I handed over the weapons to those guarding the city."

Concluding this tale before the Rebbe, who had listened attentively to every detail, I observed how deeply moved, and even pleasantly shocked he seemed; apparently, finding it hard to believe Ben Gurion had behaved that way. Still coming to terms with the story and visibly impressed, he asked me with great feeling to repeat the entire incident.

At the end of the second time the Rebbe said:

"This is a tremendous achievement, an incredible merit. I marvel how Ben Gurion acquired the great merit to make such a monumental decision."

Chabad and Williamsburg?

2011-06-23T10:31:00.007-04:00

Chabad to Williamsburg—how far does the love for a fellow Jew go? Especially one who strayed?

The Avner Institute presents a moving encounter told by Rabbi Nachman Twersky, whose grandfather the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, together with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, helped bring a former student of his who was living in Williamsburg Brooklyn at the time back to Torah observance, showing how through Divine Providence a lost Jewish spark can be rekindled.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

The Real Reason Behind a Visa

In 1920, after the establishment of the brutal Soviet regime, the Rachmastrivka Rebbe Dovid Twersky and his family were forced to flee their native town and live in Nikolayev, which was known for its large Lubavitcher community. The current Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose grandfather was the local rav, had opportunities to meet and work with the Rachmastrivka Rebbe and establish a network of underground yeshivas throughout Soviet Russia. The Rachmastrivka Rebbe lived in Nikolayev for six years until 1926, when he had his family finally left for Israel and he rebuilt his Chassidic court in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Twersky relates:

About thirty years passed since those difficult days in Russia. In 1950, after the passing of his father, R’ Dovid, R’ Yochanan became the new Admur of Rachmastrivka. Founder of Yeshivat Meor Einayim, he continued to lead the Chassidim and rebuild the Chassidus almost from scratch after years of suffering and exile; his leadership was noted for its warmth and simplicity.

In 1954 R’ Yochanan went to Williamsburg, New York for the wedding of his son, R’ Chaim Yitzchok Twersky (the present Admur). Taking advantage of his stay in Brooklyn to renew his connection with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, R’ Yochanan Twersky arrived on night at 770 for a private audience which lasted quite some time.

During the yechidus the Rebbe asked the Admur whether he remembered a particular student in the underground Talmud Torah in Nikolayev. When the Admur said yes, the Rebbe explained how this student had emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States, where, ironically, in a free country, he was could observe the religion freely but had chosen instead to leave the path of Torah. The Rebbe said that Lubavitcher Chassidim had met with him and tried to get him back on track but to no avail.

“Perhaps you will have an influence on him,” the Rebbe suggested, and he asked the Admur about possibly devoting some time in New York to visit with this man and inspire him to return to the fold.

It is remarkable that the conversation between these two tzaddikim focused on a Jew from decades ago and how to get him back to Jewish ways and traditions. The Rachmastrivka Rebbe, saddened to hear about the poor spiritual state of the former student, promised the Rebbe to try to reach this person.

The Rebbe did not delay. Immediately he picked up the phone and dialed the man’s number. “I have Rabbi Yochanan Twersky sitting here. Do you remember him?”

Apparently the man said yes, for the Rebbe continued, “Rabbi Twersky is interested in meeting with you. When can you meet?”

When the man said that Friday afternoon would be convenient, the Rebbe asked R’ Twersky to receive him then and gave the man the address where the Admur was staying.

Reunion

Friday afternoon, the former student from Nikolayev went to Williamsburg to see the Rachmastrivka Rebbe. After nearly thirty years’ separation, the meeting was highly emotional and time was spent reminiscing about unforgettable people.

When the man asked the Admur why he had come to New York, the Admur simply replied that he had come for his son’s wedding. The former student, guessing the reason for their meeting and feeling gratitude for what the Rebbe had done for him years ago, took out a checkbook, wrote a generous check, and presented it to the Admur.

To his surprise, the Admur would not accept it. “I won’t take a check until I finish our conversation,” he declared. “I want to discuss your religious observance.”

The man, by then entrenched in the American way of life and thinking, explained that he was a respected member of his Jewish community and even went to shul occasionally. He seemed pleased with himself.

“What about Shabbos observance?” asked the Admur.

The man began to justify his lack of observance, saying that although Shabbos was very important, he couldn’t be closed while all his competitors were open on this busiest day of the week.

“What about kashrus?” persisted the Admur.

Again the man mumbled that in spite of his desire to keep kosher, he lived in an area where kosher products were almost impossible to obtain, which left him no choice but to eat non-kosher.

The Admur listened quietly. “What about tefillin?”

The man agreed that tefillin was an important mitzvah but that he did not always have time for it.

The Admur’s eyes filled with tears. At last he cried bitterly.

“Was it for a ‘Judaism’ like this that we invested so much effort into you in the underground schools in Nikolayev? Each of your teachers put his life in danger, and for what? So you would grow up to be a G-d-fearing and observant Jew. See how far you’ve strayed . . . .”

The man was touched, and he too began to cry. “You are absolutely right! I promise that from now on I will do teshuva and keep the mitzvoth as I learned them.”

The Admur was pleased. He blessed the former student with success in returning to his roots.

Before they parted, the man again tried to hand him the check, but this time again, the Admur refused. “I will take the check only after I find out that you kept your word and did teshuva. How will I know when I don’t live here?”

He then answered his own question, “When the Lubavitcher Rebbe will tell me that you did teshuva, only then will I accept your donation.”

With a heavy handshake the Rachmastrivka Rebbe and his guest said goodbye.

Update

The Admur’s visit in New York lasted a few more weeks, during which he received many people who came to him for blessings and advice.

One day, the phone rang at his host’s house. The Rachmastrivka Rebbetzin answered.

The voice on the line asked to speak with Rabbi Twersky.

“Who is speaking?” she asked.

“Duh redt men fun Lubavitch (I’m calling from Lubavitch).”

Realizing it was the Lubavitcher Rebbe, she excitedly gave the phone to her husband.

The Rebbe gave the Rachmastrivka Rebbe the update: their former student had done teshuva and begun keeping mitzvoth.

“R’ Yochanan,” said the Rebbe, “you think you came here in order to marry off your son? You came here so that a Jew would do teshuva. Now this man is frum!”

The Visa

Rabbi Twersky adds:

“When I spoke with my uncle about his wedding, I thought about what the Rebbe had said to my grandfather and I put the following information together:

“When my grandfather went for his visa to the U.S. for the first time, he was refused. The people at the American embassy saw he was a former Russian citizen, and in light of the tension between the United States and Russia at the time, that was reason enough to be refused a visa to the U.S. The Americans were afraid to allow possible Russian spies into the country.

“My grandfather was turned down again and again, and he despaired of being able to attend his son’s wedding. The chassan went to America by himself and the family made peace with the fact that the father of the chassan would not be attending. A few days before the wedding, the American embassy contacted him and said he could submit another request. He did so and this time the visa was granted.

“When the family reviewed what the Rebbe had said to my grandfather, they realized that Divine Providence had orchestrated matters so he could travel to the United States in order to save that Jew and not necessarily because of the wedding of his son.”

The Rebbe writes To a Stamp Collector

2011-06-16T22:52:00.007-04:00

Postage stamps aren’t just for mailing. Can one find Torah in pursuit of a hobby?

The Avner Institute presents a unique and newly released letter to a stamp collector, where the Rebbe shows how he not only can connect with Jews of all backgrounds and interests, but can turn these very interests around to teach valuable lessons. With special thanks to Rabbi Sholom Ber Schapiro of the Nissan Mindel Archives.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
2 Iyar 5742
Brooklyn, NY

Mr. _ N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

This is in reply to your letter of . . . . in which you write that you are an avid collector of stamps and would like to have some enclosed first-day envelopes (herewith returned) signed, etc. I regret that I cannot comply with your request.

On the other hand, since everything is by Divine Providence, and you have taken the trouble to write to me, I take it as an indication that I should use this opportunity of calling your attention to a matter which is related to your hobby. This is that every Jew is duty bound to be an “avid collector” of mitzvoth and good deeds in the everyday life, and, these are indeed the most valuable and precious things that a Jew can collect, so much so, that our Sages declared that “one hour of precious things in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come” (Pirkei Avos 4:17).

Moreover, this is the kind of a collection which a Jew can constantly enrich day after day without recourse to special postal issues and signatures etc. It is only a matter of one’s own personal will and determination.

I trust, therefore, that you too are an avid collector mitzvoth and good deeds, and that, in compliance with the Great Principle of the Torah, “Love your fellow Jew as yourself,” you are using your good influence to inspire others in this direction by example and precept.

I am enclosing also a copy of the recent Pesach message, which has a bearing on the above.

With blessing,
[signature]

Unique Shavuos Diary & Photos - Marking 30 Years

2011-06-06T16:31:00.006-04:00

Over the year’s late British businessman Zalman Jaffe and his wife Roselyn spent every Shavuos in Crown Heights, where they merited an especially close relationship with the Rebbe and Rebbetzin. At the Rebbe’s request Mr. Jaffe faithfully recorded these visits, which were published annually as My Encounters with the Rebbe and savored by Chabad readers everywhere.

The Avner Institute presents an excerpt from Shavuos 30 years ago, where the Jaffes, this time accompanied by five of their grandchildren, share experiences ranging from farbrengens to private audiences. To learn more about Mr. Jaffe’s diaries Click Here

Kabalas HaTorah Besimcha U'bipnimius!
Menachem

Mr. Jaffe relates in his diary June 1981:

We now had our very own apartment on Eastern Parkway—next door, but one next to 770. Under these circumstances, we would have felt rather inconsiderate or even mean, if we would not have taken some of our grandchildren with us. So when we booked our flight, we also arranged to be accompanied by five of our grandchildren. They were Leah, Chanah, and Golda Jaffe, and Golda Rivkah and Pinchas Lew.

When we arrived at 770 for mincha [afternoon prayer], the months seemed to roll away. It was as it we had never been away from 770. I was delighted to see that the Rebbe had not changed. Thank G-d he looked fit and well—and as youthful as ever.

Roselyn and I, and our grandchildren, had the pleasure of greeting the Rebbe as he marched briskly up the steps and into 770. He welcomed us all with a lovely smile and touched his hat to Roselyn—the Rebbe is always the perfect gentleman!

Farbrengen

Over the Shavuos period there were the usual farbrengens. I managed to obtain my usual seat. Pinchas had the best place: right at the top table—sorry—under the top table, exactly by the Rebbe's feet. This was extremely cheeky, but there were dozens of similar young cheeky boys underneath the top table. They were all crawling along and pushing in order to get even closer to the Rebbe.

During the farbrengen the air conditioning was not working. The Rebbe made a strong complaint. He mentioned that it had broken down twice, consecutively, already. He did not want this to happen again, because if it failed once more, it would become a chazoka, a tradition which cannot be changed.

Shavuos Yechidus

Our yechidus was on Thursday evening. There were 155 appointments for that night, with a total of over 600 people involved. For example, our own appointment included seven of us—Roselyn and I, plus our five grandchildren.

Someone asked me in what language the Rebbe conversed with me in yechidus. I replied, “In English.”

“Hum,” this fellow grunted, “a grosser kavod (a big honor).”

It was two a.m. when Roselyn and I, and our grandchildren, entered the Rebbe's study for our yechidus.

The Rebbe raised himself from his chair and said, “Shalom Aleichem.” He greeted us with his usual wonderful and friendly smile. It is over twenty-two years since we first met the Rebbe, and thank G-d we have always received a most remarkable, heartwarming welcome, coupled with a most extraordinary happy and cheerful countenance. We shall forever be grateful to the Rebbe and always treasure his unique friendship.

I confided to the Rebbe that one of my grandchildren had told me that it was not very clever of me to write My Encounter with the Rebbe, because it was a gift from Hashem. I suggested that there should be a moral somewhere. The Rebbe agreed that if one had received a special gift from Hashem, then one needed to make full use of this—otherwise it was wasted.

The Rebbe was pleased that we now had a permanent apartment in Crown Heights. I commented that we would always feel guilty if we came alone—another wasted gift! So we had brought five grandchildren with us. The Rebbe observed that this was very good, “but next time bring seven!”

This was a bit of a shock. I looked at Roselyn. I thought she would have “gone through the floor,” but she was still standing there. She had paled a little, but in general she was bearing up well.

I complained that the grandchildren had all made certain promises—to help with the household chores, to go to bed early, and so on—and that they had not kept all these promises. The Rebbe smiled broadly and declared, “They still had two days to repent [before we left for home].” The Rebbe maintained that it was a very good thing to bring grandchildren to New York with us.

When the Rebbe inquired about my foot, I gave a demonstration with a skip, a hop and a dance—although I was wearing only sandals and not shoes. The Rebbe laughed. (I had sustained an accident to my Achilles tendon last year.)

I intimated to the Rebbe that I did not have a very good seat at the last farbrengen. I had Rabbi J.J. [Hecht] on one side—but a solid steel pillar on the other side. Although J.J. did give way a little, occasionally, I certainly could not budge the steel girder. It was tough.

The Rebbe commented, “A Chossid has to shvitz [sweat].”

The Rebbe continued with a nice smile, “I am a practical man, and I am looking for business for the Children's Sefer Torah.”

He then wished to know which of my grandchildren now present came under that category. I replied that Chanah would be bas mitzvah this coming Yud Bais Tammuz [the Previous Rebbe’s birthday and liberation from prison]. The Rebbe considered this a very nice time to celebrate a bas mitzvah. I told the Rebbe that Hindy's birthday was on Yud Shevat--also a memorable date [yahrzeit of the Previous Rebbe and day current Rebbe assumed leadership]!

(After the yechidus, I got into a terrible row with my granddaughters, who insisted that the Rebbe's question was directed to them, and that I had no right to have answered on their behalf. After all, it was also their yechidus—and so on, and so forth—ad infinitum and ad nauseam!)

The Rebbe confirmed that he was very happy with my Diary. He liked the binding, the format, and the printing, and mainly the Rebbe liked all the good things about which I wrote. He inquired whether I had given my usual talk at the Kinus Hatorah, and was delighted when I replied in the affirmative.

The Rebbe advised me to describe fully the farbrengen in my Diary. It would help our grandchildren to understand what happened much more easily. "Next year would be book number thirteen—a big year.”

I demurred. “I have nothing much to write.”

The Rebbe stated, “You are repeating yourself, just like last year.”

I said that last year I went to the brissim [circumcision ceremonies] of the Russian boys and to the Ladies' Convention, so that was additional things to write about.

The Rebbe again reiterated that I had grumbled last year and yet I had written more than ever. “So do not worry. You will have plenty to write.”

I then declared that it was getting late and that I did not want to keep the Rebbe. The Rebbe said that I was not keeping him.

The Rebbe was surprised that he had not heard from me about a certain unhappy affair. I replied that I did not wish to write unpleasant news, especially when it, thank G-d, did not affect us—and that there are always plenty of good things about which to write. The Rebbe laughed and said, “All I get is tzurus, bad news. I don't get too much good news.”

The Rebbe turned again to Roselyn and said, “And bring a special suit when you come for Simchas Torah. No, better, come for Succoth so that you [Roselyn] can have a week's rest before Simchas Torah.”

I referred to a certain gentleman who came to 770 for Simchas Torah. He put on a brand new kapote [cloak] in honor of the occasion. He jumped over benches, boys jumped and trod over him—in a very short time, he was wearing a very old and shabby kapote.

The Rebbe inquired of Roselyn about our apartment. Roselyn replied that it was adequate, but that it was in a wonderful position—right next door to the Rebbe.

“But,” the Rebbe insisted, “is it a good apartment?”

Roselyn maintained that it was very good for a couple of weeks a year. I reminded the Rebbe that at Succoth time, I was upstairs in the succah, while Roselyn was downstairs in the basement. The Rebbe repeated what he had said last year—that this basement apartment should be Roselyn's "Seventh Heaven.”

We discussed some other matters, and then I thanked the Rebbe for everything, especially his lovely welcome. The Rebbe interrupted and said, “No, no, I thank you, I thank you for coming to see me. It is my pleasure.”

The Rebbe asked us to give his regards to Avrohom and Susan, to Shmuel and Hindy, and to all our einelech [grandchildren] who had been left behind in England. Before we took our leave, the Rebbe handed everyone a dollar bill for shaliach mitzvah [charity].

We had been with the Rebbe for twenty minutes, and it was 2:30 a.m. when we left.

Mini-Yechidus

We were due to leave 770 at 5:30 p.m. I had asked the Rebbe whether we could see him after mincha to say farewell and receive another bracha [blessing] before our journey home. We made the usual arrangements. Roselyn would take all the children in the elevator to the second floor and then walk down the stairs to the Rebbe's waiting room.

Immediately after mincha, I followed closely behind the Rebbe to his waiting room. His secretary Leibel Groner shut the door behind us. I was gratified to see Roselyn and our five grandchildren waiting there.

I thanked the Rebbe for giving us this further privilege of seeing the Rebbe at this “mini-yechidus.”

The Rebbe said, “Faur gezunderhait [go in good health], and I should hear besuros tovos [good tidings]. Next time,” he added, with a twinkle in his eye, “don't print any lashon hara [gossip] about the pushing and shtupping. Continue to write good things.”

When I protested and said that my granddaughters push me around, the Rebbe commented, “They are alright, and that doesn't really matter.” The Rebbe said, "Grist [give regards] to your son and daughter and all the grandchildren.”

The Rebbe seemed to have realized that my granddaughters were still sore and annoyed with me about the main yechidus, because the Rebbe turned to each of them separately and gave everyone an individual bracha, mainly that they should have yiras shomayim [fear of Heaven], learn well, and be a lamdan [scholar]. The Rebbe again thanked us for coming to see him and hoped to see us again.

We then reluctantly took our leave of the Rebbe.

A Moving Letter From a IDF Widow

2011-06-02T16:03:00.005-04:00

Yom Kippur 1973. Israel was suddenly attacked, and in the devastating, dramatic battle with Egyptian forces, many lives were lost. Following the war the Rebbe sent letters of encouragement to the wounded and to the families of the departed.

The Avner Institute presents a letter to the Rebbe in which a young mother whose soldier husband perished asks: How can she explain this tragedy? What words of comfort can she give to her children, whose very beliefs might be shattered by the evil that took their father’s life?

The Rebbe Archive presents a photo of Ephraim Levy, former IDF Chief of Staff, receiving a dollar from the Rebbe after yechidus with an entourage headed by then Israeli President Zalman Shazar in 5734/1973.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

To Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Shlita:

G-d was with us during this very difficult time, and we succeeded in standing strong against all of the nations. Nevertheless, every single victory needs commitment and sacrifice, and there is no greater sacrifice than giving up a life.

Because I remain a widow with no father for my children, it is hard for me to educate them and to bring them up in the best and proper way. It is hard for me to stand alone against such a large world with all the adversity out there. Because my children have a proud Jewish heritage, Rebbe, I have questions that I would like to ask.

I have one daughter who is seven years old, and one boy who is five. How do I explain that their father’s death came through self-sacrifice to G-d’s will?

My son is asking me, “Mother, when Moshiach comes the dead will return, and then Tatty will come back. So why doesn’t Moshiach come now?”

How do I answer these questions? In my eyes these questions, which are so fundamental, may have an effect on my children’s beliefs and thoughts.

It will be a tremendous honor for me if the Rebbe can answer.

THE REBBE’S REPLY:

In regards to the questions the children are asking which you are writing to me about:

Explain to them, the way it is in truth, that there are souls that are so pure and holy that G-d wants them to be in the heavens, after they have completed their mission in this world and guarded over all the sons of Israel who live in Eretz Yisroel.

In the heavens they intercede for all their relatives and loved ones, and especially for their children, and they ask from G-d that their children succeed in studies and conduct. When their children conduct themselves properly, that is the biggest pleasure that the soul can have – that it remains alive and existing."

Rebbe, Why is Non-Kosher Food Not Harmful to Non-Jews?

2011-05-26T16:12:00.004-04:00

“he never saw Heaven with a telescope.”

The afterlife and other topics were posed to the Rebbe by a group of eager college students. The Avner Institute presents part 2 of the Yechidus where the Rebbe eloquently answers his young audience and in the end challenges them with questions of his own.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Question (Student): What proof do you have of Heaven? We never saw it with a telescope.

Answer (Rebbe): What is your concept of Heaven? After you die you go to a place and there you spend the rest of your existence? Can you measure intellect with a yardstick? Can you say my intellect is two years and the next man’s is 1½ yards? By the same token . . . heaven is spiritual and has no definite material boundaries by which it can be measured.

Q: If there is another life, how can you explain the fact that people have died and by massaging the heart, etc., have been brought back to life?

A: The spirit has not departed entirely faint, deep prolonged faint. Can you state the difference between a live body and the dead body? The organs are the same? The heart is beating? That is only a condition (of motion) and not a cause. What caused this condition? The brain? What is the difference between a dead and live brain? Electrical waves? . . . . The soul.

Q: Why may we eat meat of a cow and not of a pig? Chemically they are the same.

A: The difference is one proportion. You learn in chemistry that two materials contain the same elements in different proportions. One is a benefit and the other is a poison. Strychnine, for instance—the same materials are found in sugar, bread, etc. Yet if you eat bread and sugar it will benefit the body, but if you take a pill of strychnine it will harm the body.

Q: Why is non-Kosher food not harmful to non-Jews?

A: Food is for the stomach (beneficial for the body) and unfit for the lungs. On the other hand, air is fit for the lungs (beneficial for the body) and unfit for the stomach. In a like manner, what can be good for one person can be harmful for the other ..air injected into the bloodstream .

Q: Can you prove that the eating of non-Kosher food has a harmful effect?

A: Through many generations of experiments it was found.

Q: Why do we observe the Sabbath if the atmospheric conditions of that day are the same as any other day?

A: We observe eclipses and cycles 28-year cycles of the sun that occur regularly, etc.

Are you acquainted with the function of the female body? Cycles occur regularly every 30 or 29 days. In a like manner the male body undergoes various cycles which go by less noticeably. So we Jews observe a certain cycle which occurs every seven days.

Q: Is there something you can put your finger on about these cycles?

A: Jews throughout their existence have found it, the Shabbos, wholesome for their existence.

Q: Jews believe in four elements: fire, air, water, and earth. In school, however, we are taught of 100 elements.

A: The mistake lies in the definition of the word “element.” An “element” in Jewish belief is not the simplest form of matter. That is what is meant by our reference to water—something that brings moisture.

In this watch there are twenty wheels and some springs, the watch man would say. Our word “element” is used in much the same way and sense.

Now may I ask a question? Have you ever performed experiments? How many? Billions? Less than a billion? Yet you have accepted .

Do you believe that there was once a man by the name of Columbus? Without a doubt. You never saw Columbus and you will never see him in the future, but you take the word of the history book that Columbus came to America from Spain.

When you go into a subway and drop a token into the turnstile, must you understand how the train works? A person cannot exist if he must understand how Each time you eat a piece of bread, must you first understand how the oven works? Before eating meat or drinking milk, must you first understand how the cow digests the grass?

The train itself is a miracle. You have many wagons, and you have the passengers weighing so many pounds. You have the gravitation, friction, etc., yet you take it for granted that you will arrive at the next station.

A Group of Students Meet the Lubavitcher Rebbe

2011-05-11T09:11:00.006-04:00

“Rebbe, please explain the existence of G-d.”

Over the years the Rebbe fielded many queries from youth who challenged Jewish belief in the face of compelling Western thought. The Avner Institute presents a selection of questions and answers, from an audience with a group of students, where the Rebbe keenly allays any doubts about Creation and the supremacy of Torah over manmade religion or science.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Question (student): Please explain the existence of G-d and prove the creation of the earth.

Answer (Rebbe): You do not need proof of that. Do you have a printed book or paper? Would you say it came into being by accident or that it had a cause—a purpose? You say a printer printed it. Why do you accept it? Because it makes sense. You see by the system of words, sentences, phrases, etc., that person-intellect caused or assembled the letters.

In the same way there is no need to prove the earth’s origin.

Q: Well, science has proved by various means that it was caused by natural phenomena—for instance, the “Theory of the Expanding Universe” or “Evolution.”

A: That is not a cause but merely a description of creation, and the time elements derived by such means as the study of rocks, the study of decay of radioactive metals, the study of thermodynamics which do not coincide.

These hold true only if pressure, temperature and atmospheric conditions were like they are today. The “Expanding Universe” is merely a theory, and theories in general merely explain the existence of various phenomena, but do not necessarily constitute proof that the same are accurate.

(In the beginning it was believed that the earth was the center of the universe, and the sun, stars, etc. rotate around it.)

There was once a man named Copernicus, who observed several phenomena on the basis of which he formed certain theories that the earth rotates around the sun. Copernicus had no proof of this, but formed this theory simply because it explained these phenomena and this then became an accepted theory. About fifty years ago Einstein formulated his theory of relativity in which he states that in a system of two or more bodies in movement it is impossible to determine which is the stable. Thus we see that men of science contradict each other.

Getting back to the various methods of determining, the opinions differ greatly and contradict each other—for according to geology we obtain a figure of one billion; according to radioactivity a figure of one half billion; and according to the study of thermodynamics a figure of two billion. This is a difference of not merely one million or two million, but a ratio of one billion to two billion to four billion. Thus, we observe again that scientists contradict each other. However, all this “Expanding Universe Theory” is based upon the assumption that the universe was filled with uniform particles. What if we were to assume rock?

Now, if you see a simple system of two objects, you might say a child constructed it; if you saw a more complicated system you might conclude that a simple man or peasant constructed it; (when you observe a more complicated machine you might say that a person of still higher intellect constructed it); when you observe a highly complicated intricate machine, such as a robot or an electronic brain, which calculates differentials, integrals, etc. it follows then that an extremely powerful intellect must have constructed it.

Let us take the human body. It consists of various intricate systems such as blood vessels, etc., which could have been constructed only by an extremely powerful intellect. Take this pen, for instance—it consists of protons, neutrons, and atoms moving around regularly. It follows, that the world, which is a system so complicated, could have been created by a most powerful intellect.

Q: Therefore is the conciliation you have drawn reached solely by the process of elimination?

A: It is not just a conciliation based on the process of elimination, but a witnessed fact.

How do you conduct an experiment? You accept results of an experiment which was witnessed by 1, 2, 20, or 200 people but usually not more. The Divine Revelation on Mt. Sinai is an experiment witnessed by millions. In our generation, there are a million Jews who believe and bear witness to the fact that in the generation before there were one or two million Jews who believed and bore witness to the fact that the generation before them there were one or two million Jews who believed, and so on, for a period of 25-30 generations. We therefore have an unbroken chain of witness to the fact of the Divine Revelation on Mt. Sinai.

Q: Could it have been a legend like any other religion, such as the Mohammedan religion?

A: The Mohammedan religion, for instance, bears the witness of only one man. Mohammed came to his tribe (from the desert) and told them that Al-lah revealed Himself to him and told him to write the verses of the Koran. Hence, the whole belief is based upon the word of one man; one person came from the desert; one person may have hypnosis, hallucination, or be in a trance.

The Christian religion is based on the fact that J— came to his ten or twelve disciples and told them that the holy spirit revealed . . . . all this being based on the word of one man.

The Jewish religion, on the other hand, was witnessed by two million people from all walks of life. There were males, females, children and old men, middle-aged and youths, skilled laborers and lawyers, men of medicine and rabbis; in the presence of two million people of all walks of life G-d revealed himself to the Jewish people.

Rebbe “My Girlfriend is Not Jewish”

2011-05-06T11:40:00.004-04:00

"Rebbe, my non-Jewish girlfriend and I are thinking of getting married"

Assimilation was and still is one of the most challenging issues facing the Jewish nation. Over the years, both in public and in private, the Rebbe spoke vehemently against this distressing phenomenon. The Avner Institute would like to present an insightful Yechidus that took place with a Brazilian student, part of a visiting group, who was dating a non-Jewish girl and seeking the Rebbe’s advice.

With special thanks to Rabbi Dovid Weitman, Chabad emissary of Sao Paulo Brazil.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

In the winter of 1980 the Rebbe held a private audience in his office for a group of visiting students from Brazil. After his talk, each student was given the opportunity to approach the Rebbe and exchange a few words. The following is a dialog between the Rebbe and one of the students:

“Rebbe,” the young man mumbled, in accented English, “my girlfriend and I are thinking of getting married, but she is not Jewish. What would the Rebbe say about that?"

To his surprise the Rebbe did not quake with anger or excitement. Instead, the holy man remained calm, even impassive, while still gazing at the visitor.
At last he spoke.

"There are," the Rebbe replied, "many aspects of our lives over which we have no control. Many physical conditions, as it has been scientifically shown, cannot be altered, since they are a consequence of our genetic makeup, which has been inherited from past generations. There is not much, generally, which can be done by others to help these conditions.

"However, our daily functioning is primarily influenced by decisions we make throughout our lives. When people make dangerous decisions, we expect those around them to work to prevent the danger. If, for example, we hear someone planning to commit suicide, even if they say they clearly know what they are doing and have made a conscious decision, it is universally assumed that we will do all we can to stop that from happening.

“Our spiritual lives are shaped by the choices we make. In a sense, the results can be more tragic than suicide. Unlike suicide, which occurs momentarily and no longer distresses the perpetrator, a dangerous decision about one's spiritual life will hassle that person for many years. So, we must do all we can to dissuade a fellow Jew from marrying a non-Jew.”

The Rebbe concluded, "May G-d bless both you and your girlfriend to find the right persons for yourselves, and then, with your respective spouses, you will both live happily. Meanwhile, you should discontinue any relationship with her, and it should never be renewed. You should go from strength to strength."

The Rebbe promptly handed him a dollar.

"This is to help break the relationship."

"I Want to Tell You of my Experience" - The Rebbe

2011-04-28T10:41:00.003-04:00

Over the years the Rebbe dealt attentively with “at-risk” individuals who questioned their faith and wandered off the path. The Avner Institute would like to present a unique letter from the Rebbe, who shares his personal experience with someone trying to bring a friend back to Torah observance. With special thanks to Rabbi Sholom Mendel Simpson, member of the Rebbe’s secretariat.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
26 Tammuz 5725
Brooklyn, NY

Blessing and Greeting:

I am in receipt of your letter of July 13th, in which you ask for guidance how to influence an old friend who had been quite frum in the past but has weakened in his conviction.

Needless to say, it would be difficult for you to accomplish much by way of correspondence alone. Therefore, it would be well for you to find some mutual friends on the spot, who could exercise their influence in the desired direction, while your correspondence with the party in question would act as a further stimulus from time to time, being guided by the mutual friends on the spot as to when and what to write to your friend.

As a general observation, I want to tell you of my experience which has convinced me that in most cases such as you describe, the true reason for the weakening in the convictions was not the result of a more profound study or deeper insight, but rather on the contrary, it came as a result of the fact that the convictions which one has held have proved an obstacle to the enjoyment of certain material aspects in life. And, human nature being what it is, one wishes to appease one’s troublesome conscience by trying to find faults with the convictions and spiritual aspects.

In view of the above, the most effective approach in most cases is not to attempt to debate the spiritual matters, convictions and beliefs, but rather to try to bring the person closer to the kind of daily life and activity which bring their fruits also in this material world. I have in mind an activity in the Jewish community, or in the field of kosher education in particular, where he could see the good results of his work, and at the same time gain personal satisfaction from his success. The discussions mentioned above would only be of secondary importance, so as not to leave any of his questions unanswered.

What has been said above is in general terms which would apply to most cases. However, there are undoubtedly special factors connected with the individual himself, especially with his personal character, etc. Therefore, any action directed at influencing him should first be consulted with people who know him personally and would know his reaction to such efforts.

A further point which is also valid almost always is that in such a situation a wife or a fiancée can accomplish a great deal, perhaps not so much directly as indirectly. This should therefore also be considered as a channel of influence. For as I gather from your letter, the person in question is still single. Therefore, it would be very well for him if his friends could find him a suitable shidduch.

Incidentally, insofar as “scientific proof” that the Torah is G-d-given is concerned, which seems to both your friend, the fact is, however strange this may seem, that the best proof is still the oldest, namely that the Torah was transmitted from generation to generation in an unbroken and uninterrupted chain of tradition, from the time of the Divine revelation at Mt. Sinai and the giving of the Torah in the presence of 600,000 adult male Jews (several million Jews in all), to the present day. There is no stronger scientific verification of any fact than the Revelation at Mt. Sinai, which has been attested to by so many witnesses from generation to generation.

With blessing,

[signature]

The Rebbe's Feelings For a Challenged Jew - Moving Encounter

2011-04-13T20:29:00.008-04:00

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was born Friday, April 18, 1902 (11 Nissan 5662) in the Ukrainian town of Mikolaiv. Over the years this date became a monumental occasion for a Farbrengen the Rebbe held at 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad headquarters. The Rebbe’s birthday was also marked by the famous Mitzvah Tank parade that would roll through New York City while thousands of matzoth were distributed, in celebration of the upcoming Passover holiday, and hundreds of Jews would don tefillin, often for the first time.

In honor of this special day the Avner Institute would like to present a highly influential encounter from April 1981 with Aharon Levy, who worked in the Consulate General of Israel in New York City. Born crippled, Aharon suffered from many physical ailments, which he described in a letter to the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s response—which effected Aharon’s improvement—greatly shows the Rebbe’s sensitivity. We would like to thank Rabbi Tuvia Litzman, author of the popular Chassidic Gems series for the encounter.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

*Rabbi Levin at the time an Israeli yeshiva student, relates the following:

Towards the end of Elul 5740 (September 1980) I arrived at 770, together with friends from Israel, to spend the year studying and being with the Rebbe. It was understood that everyone was to make the proper arrangements for his stay, materially as well as spiritually. This included a suitable place for outreach programs on Fridays, when certain hours were set aside for these activities.

I wandered from place to place for months, until I finally found my niche with the delegation of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, stationed near the United Nations, in New York City. Every Friday, after finishing the daily curriculum, six of us went to these offices in order to lay tefillin with the employees, hundreds in number. The majority of them were Israelis, and they performed this mitzvah with the help of the students while receiving a few words here and there about Judaism.

The Mitzvah

It rarely happened that someone refused to lay tefillin. Interestingly, among those who performed this mitzvah quite naturally were many who probably would have refused to do so in Israel. Here, living among so many non-Jews in the U.S., they readily agreed.

However, there were exceptions to the rule, and there were those who stubbornly refused to lay tefillin. One of them was Aharon Levy, a high-ranking emissary. During my first weeks in these offices I tried my best to get him interested, but Aharon made it abundantly clear that it was out of the question. Since no Jew could be forced to lay tefillin, I stopped trying to persuade him. Nevertheless, I would enter his room every Friday, hand him a copy of the weekly publication Likrath Shabbat, and wish him “Shabbat Shalom” with a smile.

A few months went by, and at the beginning of Tammuz (July) there was a change. When I entered his office in my usual way, he suddenly turned to me and asked me to be seated.

To my surprise he told me straight off the bat: “I want to write a letter to the Rebbe. How do you suggest I go about it?”

“Very simple,” I answered without hesitation. “Write your letter, give it to me and I will give it to the Rebbe’s secretary. If the Rebbe writes you an answer, I’ll bring it to you.”

“Very well,” he announced. “Next week the letter will be ready.”

I had no idea about what he wanted to write, nor did I attempt to ask him. Letters to the Rebbe are considered something private, and no outsider should pry without being asked.

Question & Answer

The following week, when I entered his room, I at once noticed an envelope awaiting me.

“Here is the letter,” he said, and handed me the envelope. “I want you to read it.”
“Why do you want me to read it?” I gasped.

But he was adamant. “What do you care? I want you to know what I’m writing to the Rebbe.”

I read the letter. It was short and concise. At the top were his name and his mother’s name, as I had instructed him. He added a few private facts, defining himself as “an independent cripple” (although confined to a wheelchair, with difficulty moving his hands, he functioned quite effectively in the office). He wrote about his work in the Ministry of Defense and concluded by asking for advice and encouragement.

However, he did not specify what troubled him.

After I finished reading I could not resist asking, “So what do you want from the Rebbe? What exactly do you need?”

A broad smile appeared on his face. “You don’t understand, and that’s why you are not a Rebbe. I am sure that the Rebbe will understand exactly what I want. He has to perceive everything from half a word.”

I would be the last one to argue with a man of such strong belief in the righteous. I took the letter and handed it to one of the Rebbe’s secretaries that same Friday.
On Sunday, which was the fast day of 17 Tammuz (July 19), I received a handwritten reply from the Rebbe. These were his words:

Daily observance according to the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law), which includes trust in G-d -- and you have merited getting a position, the purpose of which is to establish the security of the holy people in the Holy Land. I shall mention the above at the gravesite of my father-in-law.

Seeing that the Rebbe had answered so quickly, I decided I had no right to wait until the next Friday to bring the answer to Aharon. So the following day I made a special trip and handed him a copy.

Aharon took the slip of paper without saying a word, then looked it over with great concentration for an endless number of minutes. Afterwards he raised his head in my direction and said: “See? The Rebbe understood everything!”

Painful Issues

In my shortsightedness I still did not understand. I waited for an explanation.
“Look,” said Aharon, “there are two main problems that have been bothering me for a long time. The first was regarding my health. I know I am crippled. Okay, I realize that I’ll never be able to climb mountains. I have no complaints about that. However, lately I can’t even sit in my wheelchair. Every two or three weeks I have such intense attacks of pain that I have to stay in bed for a week or two. I can’t take it any more. All I want is to sit on a chair and work!

“I came to the conclusion that if G-d makes even this so difficult for me, apparently something in my connection to Him must be faulty. Who can you ask in such a matter? Only the Rebbe.

“My second problem was regarding my work. You can see for yourself that I remain here after hours when everybody has already gone home. I work way beyond my call of duty and my salary. I have devoted most of the years of my life to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, since I believe in the importance of this matter. As you well know, your efforts are not always fully valued by the people around you.

“This is my main cause of frustration. I began to think that perhaps the time has come for me to stop taking care of the whole world. If my efforts are not appreciated, it may be better for me to live my own quiet life and take care of my private affairs.

“These were the problems I wanted the Rebbe to feel when I wrote my letter to him, and, indeed, he did understand!

“Regarding my first question he answered that I should follow the Shulchan Aruch and trust in G-d. Regarding the second problem, he stressed the big merit of taking care of security matters concerning the people who live in Israel.”

Beginnings

When he finished, he fell into such deep thought that I did not dare disturb him. After a long period of silence he turned to me and said:

“I take it upon myself to fulfill what the Rebbe wrote to me. But please tell him that it would be too much to demand of me to start following all of the Shulchan Aruch. Tell the Rebbe that if you demand too much, you might lose all of it.”

I replied that I couldn’t simply speak to the Rebbe whenever I pleased, as he might well imagine. However, if this was not some kind of excuse but a serious problem — then he should contact the Rebbe’s secretary and ask that the Rebbe be notified.
Immediately Aharon picked up the receiver and dialed the Rebbe’s office. The secretary answered.

“Tell the Rebbe,” Aharon began, “that I don’t see myself fulfilling all of the Shulchan Aruch, since taking too much at one time might cause one to lose all of it.”
I returned to 770 and asked the secretary to let me know if an answer arrived. A few days later the secretary called me and said that the Rebbe had answered.

Before showing me the answer, the secretary asked me to explain to Aharon that as far as telling a Jew who up to now was non-observant that he should live his life according to the Shulchan Aruch, an integral part of the Shulchan Aruch is that “taking too much at one time might cause you to lose all of it” (meaning that there is no talk of concession or compromise, but of what is required of him in the beginning). These were the Rebbe’s words.

The Rebbe continued, “Be particular about kosher food and drink, be particular about laying tefillin (checked) every weekday, in accordance with the saying of our Sages: ‘A mitzvah (in itself) brings about another mitzvah,’ and an additional saying:

‘A man who possesses a hundred (coins) wants two hundred’.”

When I gave the Rebbe’s answer to Aharon, I could clearly see his pleasure. As a matter of course, I laid tefillin with him on that occasion. He also ordered a set of the highest quality.

After a few days I met him again, this time together with his wife, and we discussed various aspects regarding keeping a kosher home. They graciously accepted my suggestions.

Changes

A week passed. As was the case during the usual visits, I did not lay tefillin with him, but now it was for a different reason — he performed the mitzvah by himself at home!

Four weeks later he welcomed me with the news: “It works — I feel no pains in the meantime!” After an additional two months he informed me that his previous medical problems had disappeared.

Every time I visited his office, he spoke about the wonder. When other people were present in his room, he would also tell them the whole story.

The days went by, and time for departure came. My year of study had come to an end, and I returned to Israel. I did not hear anything from Aharon except that he had also returned to Israel.

Somehow, our connection was lately renewed. I met him in his house in Givatayim, Israel, and he proudly introduced me to his son, who was born two years earlier, after 13 years of childless marriage. A few months after our meeting, he phoned me to say that his wife was expecting her second child. His medical problems had vanished, and he found great satisfaction in his work at the Defense office, now in Tel Aviv.

And everything, as he explained, was in the merit of the Rebbe!

*Names have been changed

Inspiring Encounter & Photo 1947

2011-04-06T09:25:00.006-04:00

It was December 1957, and Naftali Dulitzky, a wealthy Tel Aviv businessman, was asked by the Rebbe to donate a very large sum for the fledgling neighborhood in Kfar Chabad. Dulitzky obeyed, and in the end learned that both spiritual and material rewards were far greater.

The Avner Institute presents this amazing encounter, where the Chassid who fretted over giving away a bit too much ultimately learned to trust the Rebbe’s promise of
repayment.

The Rebbe Archive presents a photo of the Rebbe at a farewell gathering in Paris 1947 right before returning to the U.S. with his mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, obm.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

The following encounter was told by members of the Dulitzky family:

"Kislev 5718/1957. Eight years had passed since Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, founded Kfar Chabad, and the abandoned Arab village transformed into a Lubavitcher stronghold. But there was one problem: no more apartments were available. As more and more Chassidim found themselves turned away, they wrote in despair to the current Rebbe.

The Rebbe, who since 1955 had begun contacting Zalman Shazar (later President of Israel) about the new neighborhood in Kfar Chabad, guaranteed to find sources of funding. He also wrote to Chabad askanim [businessmen] in Eretz Yisroel, demanding action.

On 10 Kislev 5718/Dec. 3, 1957 the Rebbe wrote Shazar the following letter:

. . . . Since I am very optimistic regarding what I wrote to you in my previous letter, that you should participate in the farbrengen in Kfar Chabad on the Yom KaGeula, Chag HaChagim, Yud-Tes Kislev, the day of the geula [redemption] and victory of the Alter Rebbe and with him, Toras Hachassidus and its matters, it’s an auspicious time to announce about the neighborhood at the farbrengen. Great is a Chassidishe farbrengen to break down walls and remove barriers, including the barrier between the good and desirable—and the possible, that there be full possibility, and that it come to fruition in the total fulfillment of the good and desirable.

Put simply, the Rebbe asked Shazar to officially announce the new neighborhood in Kfar Chabad, and the Rebbe set the date: 19 Kislev 5718/Dec. 12, 1957, nine days later. Shazar followed orders: at the main 19 Kislev event in Kfar Chabad he announced a new Chabad neighborhood. In his next letter, the Rebbe thanked him.

The new neighborhood had become a fact. The only question remained: where would the money come from? No one knew what would take place a few hours later at the Rebbe’s farbrengen in Crown Heights—an amazing story that began at that farbrengen, continued in Belgium, and concluded some months later in Eretz Yisroel.

New Heavens/New Earth

In a yechidus several days before the farbrengen, R’ Pinye Altheus was asked by the Rebbe about the finances of building up the new neighborhood in Kfar Chabad. R’ Pinye replied sadly that the situation was dire and the wealthy people not as generous as anticipated.

The farbrengen took place in a large hall on Eastern Parkway at the corner of Nostrand. At the end of the third sicha [discourse], the Rebbe spoke about the cyclical completion of the Tanya and the topic of “new heavens and a new earth.” Following a ma’amer and more sichos, the Rebbe described the intermediary between the physical world and its spiritual counterpart, and their ultimate purpose. The intermediary was Eretz Yisroel, its ultimate purpose to bring to the day when “I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth,” when the physical earth will be completely purified.

The Rebbe began the next sicha with a question: Why would gashmius [the material world] be necessary in the future, when everything will be utterly refined? The answer: it is through the gashmius that dira ba’tachtonim [dwelling place below] is accomplished. This was connected to tzedaka for Eretz Yisroel, whose special qualities were aptly described by the Alter Rebbe, author of the Tanya.

The Rebbe concluded by adding two subjects on this Yud-Tes Kislev—one connected with the spiritual heavens and earth, and one connected with the physical heavens and earth. The first—on this Yud-Tes Kislev manuscripts of ma’amarim of the Alter Rebbe that had never been printed before were now being published.

The second:

If they filled my request that I wrote to the Holy Land, then today marks the founding (at least the verbal announcement that will lead to action) of a new neighborhood in Kfar Chabad which was founded by the Rebbe, my father-in-law, successor of the Chabad nesi’im back to the Alter Rebbe, the ba’al ha’simcha.

The Rebbe announced that although on Yud-Tes Kislev appeals were generally not made, the building of a new neighborhood presented a unique situation. Everyone was asked to donate amply, and within the next day or two.

The crowd had not yet recovered from the shock, when the Rebbe said:

In general, I don’t mix in and express my opinion regarding how much each person gives. I take what is given, and one of two things happens: either I am satisfied or I’m not satisfied and I keep my dissatisfaction to myself. But since this is altogether an exception, I will also act differently than usual, and if it seems to me that someone is giving too little, I will overcome embarrassment and tell him—by power of the matters for which the money is needed (i.e. the neighborhood)—to increase the amount as I see it. If I do this not during the farbrengen, I don’t know if you will listen, but when everyone is setting together no doubt you will be embarrassed to say otherwise.

In short: On this one occasion, the Rebbe decided how much each person should give. The Rebbe blessed whoever would give to receive Hashem’s blessings.

The Rebbe concluded:

If it seems to someone that he was told to give an amount that he is unable to give, the intention is so that Hashem will give him at least four times that amount and therefore, when you add another $1000, Hashem will give you $4000!

Five Times More

Among the people sitting in the crowd was R’ Naftali Dulitzky, a Chassid and diamond dealer from Tel Aviv. Whenever he visited the Rebbe he brought a large sum of money with which he would buy diamonds at lower prices on the New York diamond exchange and sell for a nice profit in Eretz Yisroel and Europe.

Like everybody else there, Dulitzky handed a slip of paper to the Rebbe that included his name and the amount of money he would be giving. Inspired by the farbrengen, Dulitzky wrote down a large number, twenty percent of the money he had brought with him to New York to do business.

Leading them into the niggun [melody]“HaBeinoni,” the Rebbe praised the neighborhood in Kfar Chabad, a future tool to spread the wellsprings. After the niggun “L’chat’chilla Aribber” the Rebbe began reading the notes, telling each person how much to add, from double to two hundred times the amount originally pledged.

The Rebbe repeated the bracha [blessing] said earlier:

There are people who are afraid to give their donation now since I will publicly announce how much they need to add, and they prefer to give their donation some other time so it will be quiet. But the time now is the Yom Tov of the Alter Rebbe, an auspicious time, the simcha [joy] of the Alter Rebbe, and therefore, if you give your donation now, in addition to Hashem repaying you four times as much or ten times as much, you can accomplish spiritual and material things according to what the Alter Rebbe is capable of accomplishing.

Accordingly, it pays to put yourself in “danger” for me to tell you to increase your amount in order to merit the brachos of the Alter Rebbe in those things you need.

R’ Dulitzky realized that he would have to at least double the amount he wrote, but did not imagine how much more would be asked of him. When his note was read by the Rebbe, the Rebbe announced:

“Tula Dulitzky—five times more!”

Dulitzky looked stunned. The Rebbe had left him without a penny for his business transactions. However, as a loyal Chassid he did not ask questions, and as soon as the farbrengen was over he gave the full amount. Although he did not know what he would do the next day, a Chassid is not put off by such concerns.

At a Funeral

The next part of the story, related by Naftali Dulitzky’s daughter, was heard from Rabbi Chatzkel Besser, a”h, of Agudath Israel, who knew Naftali for years and was often “schlepped” to the Rebbe’s farbrengens.

“I was supposed to go to that farbrengen with R’ Dulitzky, but the snow and cold that night froze the engine of the car I was supposed to drive, so I missed the farbrengen.

“The next day, when I met Dulitzky, I apologized and asked him how the farbrengen was. He said, with a smile, that it was fortunate I had not attended, because they had to give huge amounts of money to the Rebbe. He confided that he had been instructed to give all his money for the new neighborhood in Kfar Chabad.

“I was a bit surprised. I knew him as a Chassid who would give everything to the Rebbe, but I did not understand why the Rebbe needed to take everything from him. We spoke for a few minutes and then parted. As far as I was concerned, the story was over.

“A little more than a year later, I was in Eretz Yisroel for some communal matter. At that time the first armed robbery in Israel took place, and a diamond merchant by the name of Zerach Pollack was murdered. Everyone was shaken, especially those in the diamond business. Every single diamond merchant attended the funeral, from the murdered man’s best friends to his bitter competitors.

“I also attended the funeral and I met Dulitzky there. We greeted one another, and as we spoke I mentioned our previous conversation that took place in Manhattan. Dulitzky said, ‘You won’t believe this. I’ll tell you what happened later.”

Pushy

Dulitzky related, “A few days after the farbrengen, I boarded a ship back to Eretz Yisroel. My original plan was to stop for a few days in Europe to sell the diamonds I would have bought in the U.S. Although now I had no reason to waste time there, my ticket was already purchased.

“On Friday, the ship set anchor in the port of London. Since I did not want to stay for Shabbos in a place where I didn’t know anyone, I decided to travel to Antwerp, where I had many friends from the diamond trade.

“I arrived in the morning and went to the diamond exchange, where I was immediately greeted by an acquaintance, ‘Dulitzky, you don’t know how happy I am to see you!’ Understanding my surprise, he explained that he wanted to do a deal on large diamonds, which he knew to be my area of expertise.

“I explained to him that I did not have any money or diamonds for sale, but he insisted that I accompany him nonetheless. ‘At least come with me to see the diamonds,’ he requested.

“I tried to get out of it, but he was determined. I finally gave in on condition that I would be there only to advise him.

“I looked at the diamonds that he had been offered and recommended that he buy them. They were very nice and the price, relative to the quality, was quite reasonable. I figured that my job was done, but he thought otherwise.

“He wanted to make a partnership with me. As much as I tried to explain to him that I didn’t have money to invest, he refused to hear it. He wanted a partnership, and honestly, I don’t know why I agreed. But I signed a contract and promised to send him my share when I returned to Israel.

“When I returned to Israel, I sent him a letter asking for the details regarding the payment I owed him. He sent me back a telegram saying I didn’t owe him anything.

“A few days later I received a letter from him in which he explained that he had been able to sell all the diamonds quickly and make a nice profit. He promised to send me my share of the money.

“When I read the next line I was flabbergasted. The sum was four times the amount I had donated on Yud-Tes Kislev!”

Understanding Israel’s Issues & Unique Photo – 1963

2011-03-30T10:01:00.006-04:00

October 1973. On Yom Kippur Egypt launched a sudden attack on Israel, which by the skin of its teeth pushed back the enemy force and potential destruction. In the aftermath a doctor from Long Beach, California, asks: Why did this have to happen? Had Israel given back the lands, as promised after the Six Day War, could the Yom Kippur War have been averted? The Avner Institute presents the answer from the Rebbe, who comments that appeasement only leads to surrender, and that the Jews, whose very survival has been based on Divine intervention, and not on Western governments or lifestyles, can only find strength in the Torah.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe, in Cheshvan 5724 (October 1963), greeting then New York mayor Robert Wagner and his staff.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
Rosh Chodesh Teves, 5734
Brooklyn, NY

Dr. Yitzchok Isaac Moskowitz
4201 Long Beach Blvd.
Suite 208
Long Beach, CA 90807

Greeting and Blessing:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 24th.

It surprises me that, apparently, you are misinformed about the present state of affairs in the matter about which you write.

In the natural order of things, it is now well-nigh impossible to do anything to reverse the tide, inasmuch as those who determine the policy have brought it to a situation where it is impossible to retract all that has been promised in regard to the returning of territories, etc. This is not the place to dwell at length on such a painful and appalling matter.

Perhaps you know that there is a judicial formula, which originates in the Torah (Talmud), to the effect: techilaso beratzon vesofo be’ones (“He began voluntarily and ended up under compulsion”). The time to have averted it was when I began to storm (naturally not through the press) immediately after the Six Day War, when those policy-makers hastily dispatched emissaries to Washington with assurances that they were prepared to return such-and-such territories, and that most of them were negotiable, etc. This was the “voluntary beginning” which has resulted in the present situation.

What will happen in the future—no one can say. But we are a people who depend on miracles, and, indeed, our whole existence as a small nation in a hostile world is also nothing short of a miracle. And so when the offer of territorial concessions was made immediately after and since the Six Day War, there was the miracle that the other party, the Arabs, rejected the offer. And during the Yom Kippur war there was even a greater miracle when the Egyptians, after crossing the Suez Canal with a huge army, known to be at least 100,000 strong, and most likely much stronger, yet for no reason stepped in their tracks only a number of kilometers east of the Canal, facing no military resistance, and with the road ahead of them wide open. Unfortunately, extraordinary opportunities on both fronts which the miracles had provided were missed, and, again, I do not wish to dwell on matters which do not reflect favorably on our fellow Jews.

As for the practical thing which Jews everywhere can do to help the present situation—something which is most regrettably ignored, in line with playing down the obvious Divine intervention in the most critical days of the war—is that every Jew must strength his bonds with the Torah from Sinai, when G-d made us the “chosen people.” This is also something of which we need not be ashamed, for contrary to those who misunderstand or misrepresent this in terms of privilege which smacks of chauvinism, this chosenness is primarily a matter of duty and obligation to be a model people for the whole world to emulate, a people where form takes precedence over matter, the spiritual over the material, and the soul over the body, a people which was destined to be “a light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42:6, etc.). It is this kind of life and conduct which the Torah describes that also stimulates right thinking and the proper outlook on life. It is this kind of life that also strengthens the self-confidence of every Jew wherever he may be, and enables him to shed any inferiority complex and the readiness to be impressed by a goy, or by an idea which comes from a goy, or actually non-Jewish ideology. It is sad indeed when, instead of being a model and a living example for non-Jews to emulate, some Jews fall over themselves to emulate non-Jews, rejecting the “spring of living waters,” the Jewish Torah and Jewish tradition, etc.

It is surely unnecessary to point out to you, an M.D., the psychological factor which has such an important role when two adversaries confront each other. When the adversary sees that his opponent is spiritually and psychologically strong and self-confident and certain of his just cause and not prone to be impressed by the adversary or any non-Jew due to the inferiority complex mentioned above—this is the best way of preventing wars, not only major wars, but even wars of attrition. It is hardly to be expected that a Jew, who in his personal life is afraid to show that he is a proud Jew, whether at home or outside, who prefers to stack his library with non-Jewish volumes and authors, etc., and who makes sure to bring up his children in a way that when they walk in the street they should show no signs of being Jewish, yet this same Jew should draw the line and take a different posture when he meets a political adversary and engages in political negotiations with representatives of other countries.

Could such a Jewish representative truly consider himself at least equal to the gentile adversary in such a confrontation, having tried all his life to emulate and follow slavishly the gentile world and way of life? And whatever pretense and façade he might make will surely not convince the adversary.

The same is true, of course, in regard to the education of the Jewish children, who are brought up on the culture of the various nations of the world, and where Jewish tradition and culture take second place at best or are non-existent. Could such children grow up into proud Jews, dedicated to their heritage, and defend it? Parenthetically, here we find perhaps the greatest miracle, namely that despite the face that a substantial segment of our Jewish youth in Eretz Yisroel has been, unfortunately, brought up in such a non-Jewish atmosphere, implanting in them the idea that the non-Jewish culture is something superior to their own Jewish heritage, yet they had the strength at the critical moment to realize that they will not be intimidated by superior physical forces confronting them, and acquitted themselves in with such extraordinary valor. They were quick to realize, much more so than some of their elders, that G-d has clearly intervened in their behalf, and with characteristic honesty and sincerity of youth drew their conclusions, as is evident in the great religious revival among the rank and file of the defenders of our Holy Land. One could only wish that this inspiration and revival would be further stimulated and not allowed to evaporate.

Were the theme at hand one that is gratifying both to the writer and reader, it would have been worthwhile to expand on it. But since it is one that has the opposite effect, I must reduce it to a minimum. I trust, nevertheless, that it will suffice for a person of your background, and will stimulate you to use all the influence and energy which Divine Providence has given you to do everything possible to strengthen Torah-true Jewish education, both in your immediate surroundings and wherever your influence can be felt, instead of the schizophrenic education to which so many Jewish children are exposed and the polarity with which they are brought up, which reduces their Jewish identity to a miniscule part of their daily life, or to three days in the year when the parent feels impelled to go to the synagogue and pray and identify himself with his fellow Jews.

This is an area where every Jew, man or woman, young or old, both in the Holy Land and in the Diaposra, can and is duty bound to do something. And if one should think, what can a single person, or even a single act, accomplish—we live in a day and age where it is repeatedly demonstrated that even a small thing or a small act can have tremendous effects, and in this case tremendous effects for the benefit of all our Jewish people everywhere, including the Holy Land, which is the subject of your letter.

I cannot, of course, miss this opportunity of expressing to you my great pleasure and gratification for your cooperation and assistance in our Chabad work in your region. I do not mean it simply as “help,” which would imply the assistance given of one to another, for I consider it as a partnership in which your interest is truly your own as well as of those benefiting from it. May G-d grant that here too your cooperation should proceed in a growing measure, in the spirit of the Chanukah lights mentioned above.

With blessing,

[signature]

A Moving Letter to a US Army Chaplain

2011-03-23T10:41:00.007-04:00

October 22, 1976. A U.S. Army chaplain, about to become a father, asks: should he leave his job, which might conflict with greater Jewish observance? The Avner Institute would like to present the Rebbe’s thoughtful reply, in which he not only urges the chaplain to remain among the troops, in order to continue being an example, but compares a Jew to a soldier who faces constant challenges but obeys without question his or her Commanding Officer.

The Rebbe Archive presents a charming photo of the Rebbe leaving 770 right before a wedding ceremony. With special thanks to the Schildkraut and Schreiber families.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

B.H.
28 Tishrei 5737
Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi . . .
LT CHC USNR
Office of the Staff Chaplain
Marine Corps Base
Camp Butler, Okinawa

Sholom Ubrocho:

I am in receipt of your letter of 20 Tishrei.

To begin with the good news towards the end of your letter, may G-d grant that your wife should have a normal and complete pregnancy and an easy delivery of a healthy offspring, and, in accordance with the traditional blessing, you and your wife should bring up all of your children to a life of Torah, chuppah [marriage] and good deeds.

With regard to the general topic of your letter, namely that you are a chaplain and endeavoring to fulfill your duties to the best of your ability, but you now find that it would be difficult to carry out the task of a Jewish chaplain, as you now conceive of its responsibility in light of your greater commitment to Yiddishkeit than before. You ask therefore whether you ought to relinquish your post.

Perhaps you have heard of my general view in similar situations, but I will outline it briefly.

Every Jew is always a “soldier” in the service of G-d, including the duty of spreading G-dliness among fellow-Jews, with emphasis on the actual deed, namely, fulfillment of G-d’s commands, the mitzvoth, in the daily life.

Certainly, in our age of confusion and perplexity, the call to duty is more urgent than ever. On the other hand there is also a very favorable circumstance in the widespread search for truth and real values on the part of the new generation, even among young people whose parents and grandparents had placed a priority on the pursuit of material wellbeing, through professions and careers, almost to the exclusion of Yiddishkeit in their personal lives.

If every Jew is in the service of G-d, as noted above, how much more so one whom the supreme hashgocho protis [Divine Providence] has placed in the chaplaincy, and has, moreover, given him the zechus [merit] of gaining deeper insights into Yiddishkeit to the extent of reassessing his position. It is clear what the response to the said call of duty should be, especially of one who is not just a “private” but a ranking officer.

Of course, the new assessment presents new challenges. But, as in the case of a military outpost facing increased pressure, the answer is not to abandon the front, but to call on reserves and reinforcements, so also in the case of facing a personal challenge. It is certain that the inner forces are there, for G-d would not give one task which is beyond one’s capacity to carry out. In the case of the military, there can sometimes be a miscalculation; but not so with hashgocho protis. Thus it is only necessary to bring out these forces from potential to actuality. Even if the ultimate success is in some doubt, the Torah, Toras Chaim [Torah of Life], does not permit one to abandon his responsible position; how much more so when there is the assurance of yoga’ato umotzoso [trying and succeeding].

Add to this several encouraging aspects, which I have often emphasized in similar situations.

The whole military establishment is based on discipline and obedience to orders. A soldier receiving an order from his commanding officer must carry it out promptly, even if it seems irrational to him. No soldier can claim that his conduct is his personal affair, and he is prepared to take the consequences, for the consequences would not be confined to him, but to the entire sector, with far-reaching consequences in a time of emergency for the entire front and the country. A further point is that it is quite irrelevant if in civilian life the private was superior to his commanding officer in other areas, in physics, astronomy, and the like; in the military, he must bow to the superiority of his commander, who is the expert.

All these points and the whole military training and environment make the Jewish serviceman particularly responsive to Yiddishkeit, which is based on the principle of na’aseh [we will do] before v’nishma [we will understand] and to the influence of his Jewish chaplain who is permeated with true spirit of the Torah and presents a living example of it to his charges. There is truly no need to elaborate to you on all the above.

To conclude me’inyono d’yoma [in timely matters], now that we are coming from the Festival of Simchas Tora, which is the conclusion and culmination of all the festival and religious experiences of the month of Tishrei that ushered in the new year, may G-d grant you and all yours, in the midst of all our people, true rejoicing throughout the year in all respects, materially and spiritually.

With Blessing,

M. Schneerson

A Moving Purim Encounter with the Rebbe

2011-03-18T10:54:00.010-04:00

As Purim approaches, the Avner Institute would like to present a moving encounter that took place at a Purim Farbrengen in the early 1970s, when an Israeli yeshiva student who had strayed a bit too far came back, with the Rebbe’s help. With special thanks to author and scholar Rabbi Michoel Seligson, and to Rabbi Levin.
Photo Collection

The Rebbe Archive would like to a Photo of the Rebbe at a Purim Farbrgen 1959.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

To Reveal a Soul

It was the mid-1970s. At that time I was 19 years old and like every other religious boy from Jerusalem—long coat, long peyos, a fuzz of a beard. My brothers and I went to Eitz Chaim Yeshiva. I was a good student, and it wasn't long before people began to suggest marriage proposals to my parents.

After a few months, I set out for New York to meet someone. Soon we got engaged and a summer wedding was planned. My parents wanted us to live in Jerusalem. Her parents wanted New York. They finally said, "Let the young couple decide."

But we couldn't decide. Arguments broke out and by Passover the engagement was broken.

I was devastated. My family was devastated, too. My parents insisted that I return to Israel, but I couldn't face returning alone. And so I stayed in America.
A friend of mine, also from Jerusalem, told me that he had a job offer in Cleveland. It sounded good so I joined him.
New Lifestyle

It was a different life for me there. Little by little, I began to leave my upbringing behind. I changed my long coat for a short jacket, shaved my beard, and was encouraged by my new friends to try other new things in America. Everything.
I couldn't bring myself to tell my parents of my new lifestyle. They only knew that I was in Cleveland, studying and working.

At Purim time I visited relatives living in Crown Heights, long before it was a Lubavitcher neighborhood. They almost didn't recognize me. After eating the Purim meal I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air.

Suddenly, I saw two Chasidim running like crazy.

"What happened? Where's the fire?" I asked.

The boy called out, "We're going to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's farbrengen."

"Where?" I asked, and he pointed out the place.

I followed him inside, and saw hundreds of Chasidim listening to a man who I assumed was the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

It was hot and crowded, and I soon wanted to leave. This was no place for me. But as soon as this thought popped into my head, the talk ended, and hearty singing broke out and I was caught up.

“Seen . . . but not Close”

Suddenly, all fell quiet. The Rebbe was speaking again. He spoke about the World to Come, Moshiach, and that of all the Jewish holidays, only Purim would remain in the future. I don't remember everything, but I was fascinated with his beautiful explanation. It struck me when he said that on Purim every Jew's neshama, his soul, is revealed much more than even on Yom Kippur.

With a creeping awareness, I felt that the Rebbe was talking about me. He said that the Evil Inclination is a talented artisan, an expert in his field. First, he comes to a young man and convinces him to leave the yeshiva and go to work, because after all, Torah and work go hand in hand. Then he convinces the boy that America is different from all other places; he has to fit in, in order to make it. Then he tells him that "time is money": don't worry so much about prayer and putting on tefilin. The Rebbe carefully described my descent, step by step, and concluded by saying that even Yom Kippur isn't enough to arouse this youth.

But then comes Purim, self-sacrifice. A Jew says, "I will not bow down." His neshama reveals itself, and he is able to climb out of the pit.

As the Rebbe spoke, my face was burning. I knew the Rebbe described me well. I hastened to reassure myself: even though all the details fit, there was just no way the Rebbe could even see me. It was a coincidence. I was momentarily soothed.

But the Rebbe continued, "Particularly when the young man comes from Israel, from Jerusalem. It's possible that he is to be found here, even though he thinks that we don't see him. Close but not seen. Seen, but...not close."

The only thing that calmed me now was that no one understood except for me. No one was searching for a young man from Jerusalem in the crowd.
Drink of Life

At that moment, the Rebbe stopped speaking and the lively singing recommenced. Men called out "l'chaim" to the Rebbe, and I too, felt in need of a little external fortification. I looked up.

Everyone was looking at me. The Rebbe was looking straight at me. He indicated that I should say "l'chaim." A man gave me some vodka in a shot glass, but the Rebbe insisted -- a large cup.

There was no way I could drink it, and I said so. The man said, "Just make the l'chaim." I did and took a sip, but the Rebbe motioned for me to finish the whole cup. When I had finished, head reeling, he said, "Again." I drank the second cup to the end.

I don't remember anything else, just waking up on a bench, surrounded by sleeping Chasidim. It was early morning.
I never told anyone what happened that day. It stayed a secret between the Rebbe and me.

Today, I live in Jerusalem, with my religious wife and beautiful children. I have come back to America. Each time I wanted to go to the Rebbe, to thank him. But each time I was afraid. How could I approach someone who looked through me as if I were made of glass?

This year I came to the Rebbe. Somehow, I got up the chutzpa. I stood there at the Ohel, and whispered to the wind, and the walls, and the one who knows me so well. And I finally told the Rebbe, "Thank you."

The Rebbe Visit to Baltimore 1930

2011-03-18T10:49:00.007-04:00

The year was 1930. Soviet Jewry lay under threat of its very existence. Six months earlier the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Joseph Isaac Schneersohn had begun an extended trip, first to the Holy Land and then to the U.S. Traveling across the country, he described in great pain the difficult conditions of the Jews in Communist Russia. The Avner Institute would like to present an article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun the day after the Rebbe’s arrival at that city, where thousands came out to greet him, and describes the Rebbe’s work and details of his visit,

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a unique photo of the Previous Rebbe circa mid-1940s in the U.S., with special thanks to the Gal family from Petach Tikva, Israel.

With special thanks to Rabbi Levi Druk.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

From The Baltimore Sun Jan. 13, 1930:

Religious Jews in Russia are grateful in the Soviets because that Government has consistently repressed anti-Jewish pogroms. Rabbi Samarius Gourary, son-in-law of and spokesman for Rabbi Isaac Schneerson, famous Jewish leader, said last night. Rabbi Gourary spoke in Yiddish, which was translated by Rabbi Adolph Coblenz, of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.

In the afternoon more than 3,000 Jews welcome Rabbi Schneerson when he arrived at Mount Royal Station. An automobile parade of hundreds of cars escorted the rabbi to his temporary Baltimore residence, 2343 Eutaw Place, where he was welcomed with Jewish songs and ceremonies.

Rabbi Schneerson, who was born in Russia and has spent practically his whole life there, leaving in 1928 after a term of imprisonment because of his activities as a leader in the organization of Russian Jewish religious schools.

Brings Message to U.S.

During his two-month stay in the United States the rabbi will enlighten the people of the United States as to the actual conditions of Jewish life in Soviet Russia and how these conditions can be improved to accord with the policy and legislation of the Soviet Government, which is anti-religious.

The second factor which interests the rabbi is the raising of funds to aid in the support of schools and academies he and his late father, Rabbi Shalom Schneerson, founded during their thirty-seven years of religious educational work in Poland, Lithuania, Palestine and other lands.

It was on June 16, 1927, that the rabbi was arrested. After being held for seventeen days he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, in Kostroma, Central Russia, for his religious work. He was released only when Jews from every part of Europe and America petitioned the Government for his release.

Allowed to Leave Russia

He was given his freedom, and permission was granted him to leave the land, which he did early in 1928, taking up his residence in Riga, Latvia. From there he directed his religious work.

Prior to the advent of the Soviet regime Russia was the scene of numerous anti-Jewish outbreaks. In spite of the elimination of these persecutions however, Rabbi Gourary said the economic status of the religious Jew in Russia at this time is deplorable.
Since the Czarist regime forbade the Jews the ownership of land, their energies were directed along other channels, most of the Jews becoming merchants and traders. Since the Soviet policy is adverse to individual trading, naturally the 3,000,000 Jews who depended primarily on commerce for their subsistence are hard hit, the rabbi said.
Some Turn to Industry

A small number of Jews have turned to industry, while others have found employment in Government offices and factories. However, the latter are mostly unorthodox Jews, who are more welcome to the Soviets than those who tenaciously cling to the faith of their fathers, the educator asserted.

Industry, it was said, is the natural outlet because through industrial life religious conditions can be ameliorated in conformity with the laws of the land. It is this desire to cooperate with the Government as far as their attitude toward the Jewish religion is concerned and to learn how to adapt their religion so that it fits within the category and law laid down by the Soviets that the Jews are working toward.

Rabbi Schneerson is 50 years old. He is of medium height, with heavy beard, once red, but now with graying streaks. His kindly eyes gleam from under his broad, round black hat. Throughout the afternoon and night he welcomed members of both Orthodox and Reformed Jewish congregations, and representative of various Jewish organizations.
Greeted in New York

After leaving Riga some months ago he went to Palestine, Germany and France before coming to America. In New York he was greeted by thousands of Jews from all over the country and an official welcoming committee on the tug Macon, appointed by Mayor James J. Walker, of New York

The rabbi comes from a long line of rabbis, who have been active in Russian Jewry for the last 150 years. He is the lineal descendant of the Ravi of Liadi (Schneerson), who lived 150 years ago and who was one of the founders of the Chassidic movement in Russia. The movement was the expression, in a renewed form, of the age-old mystic

yearnings of the Jewish people.

The Rav of Liadi became the founder of a dynasty, the spiritual leader to whom multitudes flocked from all of Europe for guidance, comfort and inspiration.
Rabbi Gourary comes from one of the wealthiest landed Jewish families in Russia, where, under the old regime, it owned large holdings in Odessa and Krimisichuk.
The rabbi and his party will remain in Baltimore for two weeks. He was welcomed to Maryland by Major Thomas G. McNicholas, who represented Governor Ritchie. The rabbi, through an interpreter, expressed his appreciation of the reception and sympathy shown him in this country since his arrival two months ago.

Among those who came to the house to welcome him were Representatives J. Charles Linthicum and Vincent L. Palmisano, Howard W. Jackson, former Mayor; Judge Philip F. Sykes of the Orphans’ Court, and State Senator Harry O. Levin. Charles F. Goob, Chief Engineer of Baltimore, represented Mayor Broening.

Mayor to Receive Him

Delegations from New York and Philadelphia, where the rabbi has spoken, accompanied him. A municipal reception is planned for Thursday at the City Hall, where he will be received by Mayor Broening.

It was a representative crowd that gathered at the station and on the grassy slopes leading up to Mount Royal Avenue to welcome the rabbi and his party. A pressing throng gathered around Rabbi Schneerson when he descended from the train. After a few minutes, during which time he was officially welcomed to the city, the long procession of automobiles drove out Mount Royal Avenue to the rabbi’s temporary residence. Here, a new throng had gathered to greet him.

Meets Jewish Delegations

Finally he was led to his private quarters on the second floor, where he begun meeting delegations of Jews and where he shortly afterward started his work.
Throughout the remainder of the afternoon and evening, however, hundreds of Jews called to see the rabbi.

Kosher Meditation

2011-03-09T09:54:00.007-05:00

Is “Jewish meditation” really the way to attract seekers and combat the allure of cults? Or is that itself a danger? Dr. Yehuda Landes was a noted Stanford professor in the mid 1970s who wrote to the Rebbe for advice on establishing a healing center that would provide “kosher” mysticism. The Avner Institute would like to present a letter from this lengthy correspondence in which the Rebbe answers with careful insight and guidelines on these seemingly exotic practices.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of a Rebbe beaming at guests and photographers at a Lag B’Omer parade 5720 (1960).

Good Shabbos
Menachem

B.H.
11 Sivan, 5738
Brooklyn, NY

Dr.
P.A., Cal

Greeting and Blessing:

Thank you for your letter of 2nd Sivan upon your return from Eretz Yisroel and previous communication.

I am pleased to note that you and your wife enjoyed your visit in Eretz Yisroel and were impressed with the activities of Chabad there. As I have remarked on similar occasions, it is customary to bring back souvenirs from the lands one visits that are characteristic of native features and products, etc. I trust, therefore, that you, too, brought back with you the right souvenir from the Holy Land, namely an extra measure of holiness, which will serve as a fitting memento for your visit. And, of course, there is always room for improvement in matters of holiness, Torah and Mitzvahs, in the daily life. In your case this is even more important, not only for your own benefit, but also for the benefit of the many who look to you for inspiration; and one is inspired not by someone else’s good thoughts and intentions, and not so much by word of mouth as by living example, which needs no elaboration to a psychologist.

Now to the main subject of our correspondence, namely saving Jews from getting involved in avoda zara [idolatry] through T.M. and the like by offering them a kosher alternative.

With reference to your letter of April 9, I would like to make the following observations:

1: Although a well planned and systematic approach is generally required to ensure the success of any project, I do not think that we can afford to delay to prolong the implementation of our plan through time-consuming preparations, and for two reasons: Firstly every day that the plan is not in operation means so many more Jews turning to those unholy cults, and there is no other way of preventing or discouraging this. Secondly, and this is also a weighty consideration, every new project is provisional by nature, for it is expected that as it progresses there would be need for changes and improvements, which is common experience in various fields, medicine, science, business, etc.

2: I note in your letter that your discussions with your colleagues have advanced to the point of forming an ad hoc committee. I therefore believe that the stage can now be set to start immediately a pilot clinic or similar facility, to start offering actual treatment, on the basis of your and your colleagues’ professional expertise and mutual consultations. The pilot project should be set up in a way that allows for ample flexibility for modification and change as may be necessary.

As indicated, I will be able to provide the funding for the initial stage within limitations. You will no doubt send me a tentative budget of the initial outlay, with an estimate of the period of time it may take until the set up becomes self-supporting. Indeed, I am confident that before long it will not only be self-supporting, but also profitable, considering the popularity of techniques involved. But it is important to start in a way that will not inhibit the effectiveness and development of the project even if it costs much more.

3: With regard to specifics, I do not think it advisable to use the term “mystic” for the planned healing center, since the goal is to attract the greatest number of Jews and save them from avoda zara, and the said term might discourage some. Moreover, generally mysticism connotes something that lies beyond the pale of human comprehension, while the therapeutic benefits of the techniques are quite understandable rationally. Besides, to emphasize the mystical aspect would leave the door open also, lehavdil, to non-Jewish cults.

For the same reason it is advisable to be circumspect in regard to the description of the techniques to be used in the healing center. For example, you mention the use of mikvot. While it is not in my domain to assess the therapeutic effect of relaxation in a hot mike. I fear that to include a mikva “officially” in the regimen might be suspected—by some people, at least—that it is a gimmick to involve them in mitzvoth. I think that veiling it in some such term as “immersion”—hot bath and the like—would entirely allay such suspicion.

As for calling the healing center by the name “Noam”—it is a name already in use by various organizations and journals. Another suitable name would have to be found, but there is no need to make a final decision on this right away.

Finally, let me relieve you of any apprehension that you might be “pushing” me on this matter. On the contrary, in connection with such a vital project “pushing” could only be all to the good, since time is of the essence, as I emphasized above.

In view of the fact that everything is by hashgocho protis [Divine Providence], it is significant that your letter and my reply were written in proximity to the Yom Tov of Kabbolas HaTorah [Shavuot], when we renew and redouble our commitment to the Torah on the basis of na’aseh before v’nishma, with emphasis on the doing and that na’aseh is the key to v’nishma.

With esteem and blessing,

M. Schneerson

Why the Lubavitcher Rebbe?

2011-02-23T09:42:00.004-05:00

In 1956 the first delegation of rabbis traveled to the Soviet Union, a trip widely covered by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and other Jewish agencies in Europe and Israel. The Rebbe also took great interest and gave one of the dignitaries, Rabbi B. Hollander, directives on how to deal with the Jews in Russia.

Also among the dignitaries was Rabbi Samuel Adelman, who served as leader of the Beth Medrash Hagadol Synagogue in Denver, Colorado, and board member of the National Council of Synagogue Youth (NSCY). Rabbi Adelman, who died at the early age of 50, met privately, upon his return to the U.S., the Rebbe, with whom he shared his thoughts and experiences of the trip. Back at Denver, he wrote up details of his audience in his synagogue’s weekly bulletin, dated September 20, 1960. The Avner Institute would like to present his write-up, with special thanks to his daughter Mrs. Shulamith Adelman Schwartz and to Rabbi Dovid Lookstein.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe at a rally for children returning from Jewish camps in the summer of 1959.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

In the summer of 1956, after our return from the Soviet Union, I made a visit to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneirson, better known as the Lubavitcher Rabbi.

The purpose of my visit was more than idle curiosity. Somehow, as a result of what we had seen in Russia, I felt that I could find the answer to a most perplexing problem—how to captivate the hearts and hands of our people for God and His Torah—how to cause commitment to His Truth.

But why the Lubavitcher Rabbi? For this I will have to go back to our visit in the Soviet Union.

It would be trite to repeat the oft-heard story of spiritual decay in this hell-on-earth—where Satan rules and the god of materialism holds sway.

Yet it was in the midst of this modern Egypt and its forty-nine degrees of spiritual uncleanliness that my colleagues and I discovered the only meaningful resistance among our people. For, to our amazement, we found scattered groups of Lubavitcher Chassidim that had somehow managed, not only to survive, but to continue to find strength and to transmit it to their children.

Upon my return to America, I hastened to 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, expecting to find an imposing building as would befit this gigantic challenge to Russian Communism and the god of Moloch. I looked for severe security measures—secret chambers—and a hard dynamic leader of international movement.

I suppose that I was a little disappointed to find, instead, a ramshackle old building, badly in need of paint and repair, the lusty voices of young men hard at a folio of Talmud—and a soft spoken and gentle middle aged rabbi, who seemed hardly to be a match for the Kruschev I had met in Moscow.

But that was until I started to speak to Rabbi Schneirson and looked into his eyes.

Slowly, it began to dawn on me why we had met Lubavitcher Chassidim in Russia, even after they had been cut off from their source of strength for over thirty years. The former Lubavitcher Rabbi had been expelled in the mid-twenties—but more importantly, I began to see the answer to many questions that had been giving me no peace. For here I saw strength of a different kind—the strength of spirit.

The answer was obvious. To overcome material giganticism, one does not have to meet it on its own level. Synagogues need not be turned into a kind of religious night club or replica of Las Vegas to draw on the hearts of its people.

The simple answer to material giganticism is in being spiritually gigantic. No more—no less.

The power of truth is overwhelming—and its obvious asset is that it is Truth.

This is the great discovery that is beginning to turn American Jews back to the synagogue. We are beginning to realize, in the words of the Lubavitcher Rabbi:

“Far dem emes muzen alle fahlen!“

“Before the truth, all most prostrate themselves.”

Egypt's Dishonesty 1977 - Insightful Letter of the Rebbe

2011-02-16T09:16:00.004-05:00

Over the last two weeks the news in the Middle East, particularly Egypt, has left many wondering, “What is in store for Israel?” How does the recent upheaval and overthrow of dictators impact that part of the world and the “land for peace” that was arranged by Sadat and Begin? The Avner Institute would like to present a letter written over 30 years ago to the editorial staff of B’nai Brith Messenger of Los angeles California, where the Rebbe’s grim assessment of the Camp David Accords proved how using the Land of Israel as a bargaining chip with notoriously spiteful and dishonest governments offered nothing in the end, only greater danger for Israel.

This letter is presented from the The Letter and The Spirit series, With special thanks to the Nissan Mindel Archives.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe arriving at 770, with special thanks to the Garelik family.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

5740
Mr.
Los Angeles California

The Rebbe comments on the writer’s membership to B’nai B’rith and the significance of the organization’s name—“B’rith” implying covenant made uniquely with Abraham, as stated in the Bible, a work also held sacred by Christians and Moslems. The Rebbe describes the importance of the Land of Israel within Jewish history and the distressing attempts by contemporary Jewish leaders to offer land under the illusory promise of peace.

. . . . As you may have heard, when the Camp David negotiations were initiated, I considered it my sacred duty to call attention to the true nature of this disastrous expediency. There was no basis in law, nor in justice, nor in reality, to give in to pressure to sign an accord and treaty, by which one party gives all and the other party takes all; namely, the first giving away tangible and vital resources in terms of territory, fortifications, air fields, oil wells; the dismantling of settlements, etc., all vital to its security, while the other gives in return no more than promises, such as the establishment of communications, exchange of ambassadors, and “normalization” of relations, all of which could be revoked at any moment under one pretext or another. I warned that far from bringing real and lasting peace, this “accord” would only whet our enemies’ appetite for more “grabs,” encouraged by the weakened security position of their adversary. I also warned that it was folly to put one’s trust in the USA’s part of this agreement, for it was obvious that the USA was leaning heavily towards the Arab position.

Since the signing of the Camp David Accords and Treaty, the consequences it has spawned have turned out to be even worse than I feared. Now, some 18 months later, everyone can clearly see that Egypt never intended to keep its promises fully. Right from the moment it took over one segment of Sinai after another, it broke its pledge to keep these zones demilitarized, though for the sake of expediency this matter has been hushed up. Even at this moment Egypt is busily engaged in aggressive military preparations (the construction of tunnels under the Suez is but one glaring example). This should come as no surprise, given the record of broken Egyptian pledges in the period following the Yom Kippur War, and ever since 1948. At the same time, it is demanding, and obtaining, from the U.S., an ever-increasing supply of the most sophisticated weaponry, not to mention what is going to such other “moderate” Arab states as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and even Iraq.

Such is the “even-handed” policy of our U.S. government. Be it also noted that even in regard to its own obligations in connection with the Camp David Accords, particularly the assurance of oil-supplies to compensate for the surrender of the oil wells in Sinai—developed with Jewish ingenuity and resources—it has found a convenient loophole, claiming that the situation is not “critical” as stipulated; which obliges the country to spend millions of dollars in overcharges on the open market, thus putting a critical squeeze on the economy of Eretz Yisrael, which is in dire enough straits as it is.

All the above is surely well known to you and, since you are connected with the news media, you probably know better than I what is going on behind the scenes in Washington and Cairo.

The question is: Now that we have a Camp David agreement signed, sealed and delivered, don’t we have to live with it? Would it be legally and morally right to abrogate it unilaterally?

There are two major answers to this question. First of all, an agreement is binding on either party only as long as the other is carrying out its part. As noted above, and as a matter of record, the Egyptians have not acted in good faith and have broken, and are breaking, many of their pledges under the agreement. (To cite one more glaring example, which should have created a much greater public shock than the tiny ripples it started: By their own admission, once the fact was discovered, the Egyptians had been reporting to other Arab nations, as well as the PLO, on the negotiations conducted with the representatives of Eretz Yisrael under the Camp David Accords.) In view of the systematic violations of the agreement by the Egyptians, the other party need not feel either legally or morally obligated to abide by it.

The second answer, which is equally valid, is that the Camp David Accords were based on a presumption that invalidated them in the first place. Clearly, no government official has the right to sign away the very security of the people and country he represents, nor the security of the next generation and subsequent generations, for no person can possibly have such a mandate, actual or implied. Certainly, in the present case, no such mandate was given—on the contrary, there is an explicit and expressed unanimity that the security of the Land of Israel and its three-and-a-half million Jews is not negotiable. Since the Camp David agreement does indeed jeopardize the security of the people and land of Israel, no signature, or even ratification, can be binding.

Incidentally, it has now been publicly admitted by a high-ranking member of the government of Eretz Yisrael and leading representative in the negotiations, that the Camp David agreement was a mistake, and that the terms, at any rate, should have been reversed, namely, that Egypt should have been made to comply with its obligations before surrendering to it the Sinai and all that went with it.

In summary, despite the political differences, dissension and confusion in certain Jewish circles, both in the Land of Israel and here in the USA, there is no Jew in the world who will tolerate the thought of genocide of the Jewish people, “even” in the very Land of Israel, and we have a right to expect all decent non-Jews to share in this determination.

Hence, Jews everywhere must stop bickering and must demand in one voice: No more concessions! No more giveaways! No more pressures!

And here is where my request comes in. I do not know what you and the editor and publisher of the BBM [B’nai Brith Messenger] think personally, as individuals, about the situation outlined above; nor am I adequately familiar with the position which the BBM has advocated in the past. I do believe, however, that a publication that carries the banner of B’nai B’rith (in the true sense of the term, as noted above), and which is now in its 84th year, has the primary obligation to carry the message of the Divine Covenant to its numerous readers, many of whom are leading personalities in various Jewish communities—the message of the Torah, Torat Chaim, and Torat Emet, namely: that Eretz Yisrael is ours by Divine Covenant, as indeed is recognized by all who believe in the sanctity of the Bible; and the “facts of life” and “truth” are that Jews are not “occupiers” or “aggressors” in their homeland, but that what has passed into our hands is only a restitution of what is rightfully ours by Divine will and grace, not by the “false grace” of the United Nations.

And we cannot afford to be magnanimous and give away any part of our tiny land in response to the threat of force, since the retention of every last inch of it is a matter of vital security for the three-and-a-half million Jews—men, women, and children—as well as for our Jewish people as a whole.

To conclude on the timely note of coming from Tisha B’Av and approaching the month of Elul, the month of special Divine grace and mercy—may G-d indeed reveal His mercy to the world, and to our Jewish people, and bring us the true and complete geula through Mashiach Tzidkeinu, which will also bring about the perfection of the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty. Indeed, every one of us can do much to hasten the realization of this Divine promise through an ongoing movement of teshuva—return to the Jewish essence, which is inseparably intertwined with Torah and mitzvoth and living Yiddishkeit in the everyday life, as our great Teacher and Guide of all times ruled (Rambam, Hil. Teshuva, 7:5): “Jews do teshuva and are redeemed immediately.”

With blessing,

[Sign.]

New Rebbe Photo 1949 & Inspiring Encounter - Brazil 1962

2011-02-09T09:33:00.007-05:00

To the Rebbe, outreach was not limited to Jews. He frequently spoke of teaching people of all backgrounds, and many non-Jews were helped by the Rebbe’s special powers. The Avner Institute presents an amazing encounter related by Rabbi Shabsi Alpern, Director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Brazil, who will never forget the Rebbe’s personal attention to a very sick girl, in 1962.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a newly released photo of the Rebbe (standing in the background, second to the left, under the chupah) at the wedding of Rabbi Peretz and Chaya Ita Hecht, which took place 22 Adar 5709 (1949) at the Clinton Plaza Hall. With special thanks to Rabbi Shea Hecht.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Alpern relates:

In earlier years when I first arrived in Brazil, the Chabad House would host a lecture every Tuesday evening. Often non-Jews attended.

One non-Jewish couple in particular appeared week after week. After one of the lectures I approached them and asked what had brought them there to explore Judaism. Why were they so interested?

The mother explained sadly, “My daughter Angela. She’s only eleven, but the doctors have found a tumor in her back. We hear there is a great rabbi in Brooklyn who is known to give effective blessings.”

She shot me a glance, a certain fear in her eyes. “We are anxious to meet this rabbi; perhaps he will give a blessing that will heal our daughter.”

I decided to write a letter to the Rebbe on their behalf and ask for a blessing for Angela. Weeks went by after the letter had been sent to New York, and this couple still never missed a lecture. Finally, when I arrived at the Chabad House one week, I sensed a jubilant atmosphere.

Angelo’s parents ran up to me. “We just went for a checkup, and the doctors were shocked to see that the entire growth had disappeared.”

Later that year I went to New York for 12 Tammuz, the date commemorating the birthday of the Previous Rebbe and his release from Russian prison. I was to leave for Brazil on a Monday and, it was hoped, meet with the Rebbe.

On Sunday afternoon, I was told that Rabbi Leibel Groner, one of the Rebbe’s secretaries, was looking for me. Rabbi Groner gave me a small note from the Rebbe that asked:

“Ma shlom hayalda v’hahemshech la’ze? [How is the girl doing and what was the result?]”

I immediately chided myself for not having let the Rebbe know that Angela had recovered. I sat down by the table of Rabbi Eliyahu Quint, another secretary of the Rebbe, and wrote a letter detailing Angela’s health.

As I finished, I turned over the note that I had received from the Rebbe about the girl, and I realized that it was my very own handwriting on the other side! On the very same letter that I had first written to the Rebbe about the girl, the Rebbe had torn a piece of the letter and answered me. Amazingly, the Rebbe had kept my letter all that time, waiting to hear the fate of this non-Jewish Brazilian girl.

When I returned to Brazil, I spoke to Angela’s mother and said that the “great rabbi” from Brooklyn had asked about her daughter. Curiously, she wanted to know what day the Rebbe had made this inquiry.

“Sunday,” I said.

Her eyes widened. “Now I know why the Rebbe waited until Sunday. This past Sunday was Angela’s birthday!”

A Professor's Challenges - a Fascinating Yechidus With the Rebbe

2011-02-03T22:25:00.006-05:00

Rebbe, How is reward and punishment, Gan Eden and Gehonim to be interpreted? How do I conquer my fear whenever I enter the classroom and contemplate the responsibility of teaching G-d’s Torah? The Avner Institute presents insightful religious instruction to a New York college professor during a private audience in the winter of 1962.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a unique photo of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson, circa winter 1934 in a suburb of Poland, with special thanks to the Levin family.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Religious Instruction

QUESTION: How is reward and punishment, Gan Eden and Gehonim to be interpreted?

THE REBBE: Just as one must use a material knife to cut bread, so also if one is walking on Broadway, he must summon physical thoughts in order to divert the evil inclination. At such a time, philosophical expositions of Gan Eden or seventh heaven would have less influence on the yetzer horah than would thoughts of Gehonim or a story with a moral. To successfully combat one’s corporeal desires, he must apply thoughts that fit his mood at the time. If one has an urge to eat a non-kosher steak, for example, an abstract discussion of religion will not spoil his appetite. He must reflect that this animal ate grass, and that fertilizer was on the grass, and similar reason to deter his lust. The same applies to other impulses—murder, theft, concupiscence, etc.—one must gear his reasoning to bringing about the undesirability of these actions, according to his own level.

Therefore, the Torah discusses reward and punishment, according to a material, and not a spiritual, aspect—you will live longer, you will have a good field, etc. The Torah is for everybody, even for lower mentalities. The greatest tzadik was at one time only a thirteen-year-old, when particularly these physical considerations are effective in restraining him from straying from the path of G-d.

The Torah was G-d’s blueprint for the Creation. We observe that the Creation consists of many levels; consequently, we must conclude that its blueprint, the Torah, also contains many degrees of explanation. For instance, “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth” has its literal meaning. A deeper interpretation is that G-d created heavenly, lofty emotions and earthly, carnal passions in the human heart. A more profound concept is that G-d created two components of the soul—one is sublime and spiritual, the other is the earthly intellect. Similarly, when the Torah speaks of the reward of long life, its first meaning is the plain one—ain mikro yotzay miday peshuto. But it also includes another meaning: Whether a person is materialistic or philosophic, proper behavior will be rewarded with a keener understanding of the world around him. Thus, every minute of his life will be “long” in the sense that it will be utilized in a more worthwhile and intelligent manner.

Similarly, all the material rewards and punishments of the Torah can be interpreted profoundly as well as simply.

QUESTION: I find that, as I enter the classroom, I am overcome with feelings of dread and trepidation as I contemplate the great responsibility of teaching G-d’s Torah. What can I do about this?

THE REBBE: The primary axiom of Judaism is that a Perfect Being created and creates everything according to His definite system and design. Nothing happens by accident; thus, for every problem there is a solution. Unequivocal cognizance of this fact vitiates despair and frustration, as G-d has given everyone the ability to complete his tasks.

On the contrary, these feelings of dread and anxiety were also created for a good purpose—to arouse one to summon all his physical and intellectual capabilities in order to arrive at a correct solution. The one who is calm and indifferent in facing his responsibilities will often be satisfied with practically any conclusion.

Moreover, these misgivings and awe are often an indication that one is progressing to a higher level. When one ascends a flight of stairs, there is always a moment when his foot is suspended in air without solid support. However, afterwards comes an inner satisfaction from the knowledge that one has elevated himself. Others may “sleep on one step” for 120 years, experiencing neither apprehension nor the “inner harmony” that comes with a feeling of accomplishment.

QUESTION: How should one begin in instructing his students, with just performance of the mitzvoth, or should he talk about hislahavus (enthusiastic ecstasy) as well?

THE REBBE: You must choose the approach that fits the individual you are dealing with. If hislahavus will appeal to him, choose that method. But one must be cognizant of the fact that the essential is “ma-aseh be-poel,” the actual performance of mitzvoth, and it is wise to begin with the essential so that if your talk becomes soporiferous in the middle, your audience will at least go away with an essential.

QUESTION: Is quality more important than quantity?

THE REBBE: Einstein said that quantity transfers into quality, mass into energy. The Midrash Rabba cites an interesting point: If even one Jew of the 600,000 had been missing at Mt. Sinai, G-d would not have given the Torah. Not just a Jew like Moshe Rabeinu, but even the Jew who had an idol in his tent, pesel mika, had he not been present, the Torah would not have been given. Nine Moses’ cannot make a minyan to say a kedusha, though that would be a tremendous amount of quality; but if you have ten in quantity, you can say kedusha, just as the Midrash Rabba stated that 600,000 was necessary for the Revelation. This indicates that quantity and quality are transformative.

A Visit to The Rebbetzin

2011-01-26T09:51:00.003-05:00

This Thursday, 22 Shevat, marks the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson (1901-1988) of righteous memory, wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Avner Institute would like to present a charming excerpt from late British businessman Zalman Jaffe, who for years came every Shavuot to Crown Heights with his wife Roselyn, children, and grandchildren to share an especially close relationship with the Rebbe and Rebbetzin. At the Rebbe’s request Mr. Jaffe faithfully recorded these visits, which were published annually in a diary My Encounters with the Rebbe and enjoyed by Chabad readers.

On this Shavuot 5740 (1980), he is again accompanied by his wife, as well as his son Avrohom, daughter-in-law Susan, and their children. To learn more about Mr. Jaffe’s diaries visit www. Myencounter.com.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present two newly released photos from a Farbrengen on 6 Tishrei 5732 (1971), with special thanks to the Minkowitz family.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Once again, it was our great privilege and joy to be received by our gracious Rebbetzin at her home. Roselyn and I were accompanied by Susan and Avrohom and family.

The Rebbetzin looked very lovely, kah. As Leah remarked, she was surprised to see that our Rebbetzin looked so young, kah, and she added, "She looked majestic and yet elegant."

I asked Leah for her definition of "elegant."

Leah answered, "She holds her cup so posh!"

Our friend Chessed Halberstam was assisting our Rebbetzin and brought in the tea. He also produced a magnificent cake which his wife had baked especially for this occasion. It was basically a chocolate and cream cake, but it had so many additions that I was not sure whether to make the brocha mezonas, as for cake, or she’hakol, which covers almost everything besides bread, wine and fruits and vegetables. Avrohom ruled that since it was called cake, we should make the mezonas.

In addition, the children were given a special treat of strawberries, cherries and ice cream with pineapple. I then called upon Leah to have the first turn in our afternoon concert program. Leah rose and sung "Min Hameitzar" -- but she first waited for Chessed to leave the room. Such modesty! The Rebbetzin rather liked that.

Next was Levi. He extracted a Chumash from his pocket – he had brought it especially for the occasion. I sat back ready to listen to some words of Torah. He did not let me down – except that he sang the words of Torah.

His bar mitzvah was due in about six months time, so he was layenning his sedra [reading his Torah portion] for the Rebbetzin’s pleasure. He carried on until shaini, which is the first official stop when the sedra is read on Shabbos. I had been a little apprehensive, since I thought he was going to layen the entire sedra!

The Rebbetzin exclaimed that it was marvelous, umberuffen – she had a good laugh. She never anticipated hearing layenning in her own home, on a weekday.

Chanah sang very nicely indeed. Shmuel was too embarrassed to do anything, whilst Golda, very shyly, just sat and looked pretty.

The Rebbetzin remarked that Golda had a lovely wonderful personality. Since Golda did not sing, nor even speak, the Rebbetzin was obviously a prophetess. Golda did, however, roll her eyes and smile a little hesitatingly. Aaron sang the Rebbe's latest niggun [melody] and gave a good exhibition of his prowess.

The Rebbetzin had pointed out to us the flowers we had sent to her before Yom Tov. She was particularly pleased with those which the children had chosen. She was particularly delighted with the card which accompanied the roses. The Rebbetzin remarked that the flowers would ultimately fade away, but she would always keep the card – it would be a permanent reminder of the children.
The Rebbetzin politely but firmly questioned whether Aaron had actually signed the card himself. As I have stated, he was only 4½ years old. Aaron would not allow his ethics to be questioned. To prove his point, he obtained a pen and to the surprise and delight of the Rebbetzin, wrote his name on a piece of paper.

We had a large pile of photographs which had been taken at the Manchester Lag B'Omer parade and outing. The Rebbetzin went through them all and to our immense satisfaction chose a few of them to keep for herself and to show her “husband” (the Rebbe).

We also told the Rebbetzin that Shmuel Lew had also been here for Yom Tov, but had returned home that very day. The Rebbetzin confirmed that the Rebbe had told her of this fact!

After spending a most interesting and enjoyable hour and a half, Avrohom, Susan and the children reluctantly had to leave. Roselyn and I stayed for a further half an hour. The Rebbetzin, always the perfect hostess and lady, accompanied us to the door and bade us farewell.

It is very difficult to be a Rebbe. It is even more difficult to be the Rebbe's wife. All day on Shabbos, the Rebbe was at 770, from 9 a.m.: davenning, farbrengen, mincha, maariv, culminating with kiddush levanah at 9:45 p.m. But the Rebbe then returned to his study at 770 and actually did not leave for home, and to the Rebbetzin, until well after eleven o'clock in the evening. This is a long day for the Rebbe - and even longer for his Rebbetzin.

Later, Binyamin Klein informed us that the Rebbetzin had been very happy to receive us and enjoyed our visit with her. She would like to see us once again before we left; if possible.

This was really splendid and tremendous good news. The first invitation might be – could be considered – a duty call. But a second invitation expressed quite clearly that she enjoyed our company.

Following the second visit, on our way home, Leah remarked that “the Rebbetzin looked so sweet, I wanted to kiss her."

"Then why didn’t you?” I exclaimed.

“Yes," Leah replied, "now I am sorry that I didn’t.”

How to Deal with a Rebellious Child - a Moving Yechidus

2011-01-04T10:35:00.010-05:00

How to deal with kids rebelling. What language to teach -- Yiddish vs. English? How to cope with high anxiety. Just some of the problems schools face today. The Avner Institute presents two fascinating audiences in 1961 (5721) and 1965 (5725) with Rev. Aron Dov Sufrin, of blessed memory, who for nearly 40 years had served as Director of Education of Lubavitch Foundation, London UK, and who, after leaving the Rebbe’s room, took down notes of the timeless advice on today’s youth and education. With special thanks to Rabbi Yisroel Boruch Sufrin for making his late father’s personal notes available, and to Rabbi Chanoch Sufrin, Rev. Aron Dov’s grandson.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe, Purim 1971 (5731), entering 770 with visiting president of Israel, Zalman Shazar.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

From the notes of Rev. Aron Dov Sufrin following his private audience with the Rebbe :

Issue:

Since work in Jewish education takes up so much time, (personal) Torah learning is affected and minimized, and tends to become lethargic.

The Rebbe’s Response:

The fact that work in Beis Lubavitch (London UK) leaves little time for learning should be looked at from a different perspective. This work is considered “worthy” and falls under the category of a mitzvah. (One good deed leads to another.) In addition, the work also aids in achieving taharas hamoach vehalev, purity of heart and soul. This in turn helps the learning process. Therefore, the actual time spent learning, even though it may be small due to communal work, is lo lephee erech (not comparable) to the time one spends learning when not involved in communal work.

Issue:

What attitude should be taken when a person had successfully influenced a child in a positive direction and the child subsequently reverted back to his original ways?
The Rebbe’s Response:
If one has hatzlacha (success) with a child, one must not close the door. One must always be mekarev (bring closer) the child, as there may be many reasons for his estrangement.

-Yechidus, 28 Tishrei 5721

Issue:

Most of the children in our school (The school referred to is Lubavitch House School in London UK) speak English at home. However in each class there are at least half the parents who would like their children to be taught in Yiddish, and one child has left because of this. There are one or two others who may leave because we do not teach in Yiddish. On the other hand, there are one or two who may take their children away to other schools if we do start teaching the children in Yiddish, and it will also deter parents of the English and German type from sending their children to us. Yet there is a possibility that if we would go over to teaching in Yiddish, a small percentage of frummer children may join our school. Under the present system we have adopted we are introducing Yiddish into each class (as the Rebbe Shlita may have noticed from the curriculum I handed in), but there is still dissatisfaction amongst some of the parents. We therefore wish to know what our policy should be for running the school to teach in Yiddish or English.

The Rebbe’s Response:

Tell the parents who want everything taught in Yiddish that they most probably also want their children to grow up to be shomrei Torah umitzvos, Torah observant Jews. If their children will be taught in Yiddish, which is a strange language to them, they may develop distaste to everything they learn. This will affect them in the future development of their personal Yiddishkeit (Judaism). It is appropriate to speak to them in Yiddish during their playtime, recess, breaks, or when telling them a story as this will help expand their familiarity with the language; however, not when teaching them formal Yiddishkeit subjects.

Issue:

The nervous strain and stress with tension that comes from working at Lubavitch House and in Jewish education.

The Rebbe’s Response:

Why should there be nervous strain and stress from the worries of this position? The worries are not on the person's shoulders; they belong to Hashem. They are His worries! He has given the person a chelek (share) in what is a tremendous zechus (merit) that is really a tremendous zechus for the person himself. Halevie (if only) others would also have the same zechus!

Issue:

To what extent should school curriculum be determined by the feelings and whims of parents? The school usually follows the curriculum issued by Merkos, but how much of it should be adapted according to the local situation, including parent needs and demands?

The Rebbe’s Response:

The Merkos curriculum is prepared for the United States. It should be adapted or revised to suit local conditions. It should take into account children's needs and their inclinations, etc.

Issue:

(Note: The following issue is worded exactly as written by Rev. A. D. Sufrin, and is a copy of the exact language he handed in to the Rebbe upon entering for his yechidus. The Tzach Minyan referred to was the Lubavitch House Youth Minyan in Stamford Hill, London, UK. The Talmud Torah refers to the after-school Judaic program run at the Lubavitch House. The School, Tzach Minyan, and the Talmud Torah were all run under the direction of Rev. A. D. Sufrin in his capacity as Director of Education and shliach (emissary) as well as member of the hanhallah (board) of the Lubavitch House in the United Kingdom.)

Issue:

On Friday evenings between mincha and maariv (afternoon and evening prayers), I usually give a shiur (lecture) on Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Jewish law) to the younger members of the Tzach Minyan. However, as most of the boys learn dinim (laws) in the Talmud Torah and some of the others learn at other times, I have been wondering whether it would perhaps be an idea to learn chassidus instead . . . if so, what type of chassidus to choose for this purpose, as their knowledge is not good in this subject.

The Rebbe’s Response:

Continue to learn with them dinim and then include chassidus. A possible model to use is fifteen minutes of dinim as a shiur in lecture format. Then tell them to do chazarah (review). This should then be followed by fifteen minutes of chassidus. It is advisable to begin with excerpts from Likkutei Dibburim (Memoirs of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe).

-Yechidus, 20 Adar Sheni 5725

Incredible Yechidus with the Rebbe!

2010-12-22T09:53:00.006-05:00

How would you define Judaism in a nutshell? Dose G-d creates evil? The following is a fascinating Yechidus of the Rebbe that took place in the winter of 5722/1962. With Special thanks to Rabbi Refoel Katz for his efforts in retrieving the documents of this meeting.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe leaving his room, in 1971, to welcome visiting Zalman Shazar, president of Israel.

This week’s email is sponsored by Shalom Israel Tours, Shalom Israel Tours creates incredible experiences for communities and families visiting Israel. Whether you’ve done Israel trips in the past or are considering the idea for the first time, we would love the opportunity to help you plan your Israel tour.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Question: How would you define Judaism in a nutshell?

The Rebbe: Judaism is not something abstract, detached from ordinary every activities. Judaism must concern the Jew twenty-four hours a day, in every environment and in every activity. The Jew proclaims, "G-d is One!" Not only did G-d create the world but He also constantly maintains it so that nothing happens by mere coincidence. His is the Divine systematic pattern of the universe into which every one of us fits so that we may accomplish our mission in life.

Question: What is the inter-relationship between Torah and the secular sciences?

The Rebbe: Everything in creation is included in the unity of G-d. One object of scientific discovery is to find unity in all matter, in all phases of life. To correlate electronics, chemistry, acoustics, physics, and mathematics. Einstein's achievement was to unite energy with matter; the unification of electricity with gravity will be an even greater accomplishment. All spheres of knowledge are all one entity. The formulas of their unification already exist – they are merely awaiting discovery. But we can utilize the consequence of these formulas even now to strength our monotheistic belief, for the Talmud states, "Heder yedia ano meakve," ignorance doesn't preclude performing the precept.

Question: How do you explain "Oseh shalom uboray re-aw," that G-d creates evil?

The Rebbe: Divine Unity is concealed in a mask of evil and temporary material pleasures. The mission of the human being is to lift this mask of the universe through "nisoyon," by withstanding temptations. This is the special power of free choice: it is part of the Divine Pattern of the universe. For example, if one has the possibility to give charity, and this would be the right thing to do; he also has the choice of keeping the money in his pocket, the wrong thing. However, this possibility of error elevates the achievement of one's purpose in life, and explains why there are so few tzadikim, for there is only one right road and many wrong ones.

Question: How can I overcome the feeling of apprehension when confronted with great responsibility?

The Rebbe: There is no need for despair or frustration. System and order are inherent in the universe; consequently, no one gets more responsibility than he can handle. This clear knowledge strengthens man's ability to complete his tasks, as he knows that there is a solution for every problem that confronts him. He must endeavor to use all the emotional and intellectual powers that G-d has endowed him with, in order to arrive at the correct solution. This is part of G-d's perfection – that He has given every Jew the potential to fulfill every precept that is incumbent upon him.

Question: How can G-d direct the universe according to a definite pattern without contradicting man's freedom of choice?

The Rebbe: Although G-d directs the universe in a systematic, compatible fashion, there is no contradiction to free will. For example, let us say that by some miraculous power a fortune-teller can accurately predict far into the future. He is only seeing what will be done by someone of his own volition. The fortune-teller's foreknowledge does not influence the other's freedom of choice. This freedom is the basis for reward and punishment. So that there be no chaos and confusion in the world-system, the Almighty has a prescribed plan wherein man may choose between many possibilities, but only one is the right way.

Question: What can be the relationship of science and religion?

The Rebbe: The latest scientific discoveries have shown that all the molecules in the universe fit into a definite united pattern. Wherever you observe order and system you must assume that there is some force or power maintaining this system.

No one is perfect. Each day we must strive to improve ourselves little by little so that we ultimately achieve our mission in life.

Why is a Mechitza so Important? Fascinating Letter of the Rebbe

2010-12-08T06:56:00.008-05:00

Is the mechitzah in shul really necessary? Or is it a “male plot” to degrade Jewish women? And given the stress these days on Jewish unity, why make separations altogether? In the following letter to the president of a Brooklyn synagogue, the Rebbe spells out the reasons for a mechitzah, its impact on communal prayer, and the answer to a question on those who seem communally farthest away. We would like to thank Rabbi Simpson, a member of the Rebbe’s secretariat, for this letter.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present two unique photos of the Rebbe leaving 770 in the winter of 1975, on his way to the gravesite of his father-in-law. With special thanks to Hayward family for the photos.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
10th of Nissan, 5721
Brooklyn, NY

Greeting and Blessing:

This is in reply to your letter and questions:

(1) Regarding the mechitzah in the synagogue.

You mention several explanations which have been suggested to you, according to which the necessity for a mechitzah would be qualified and limited to certain conditions only.

Let me preface my answer with a general observation about a misconception in this matter. It is a mistake to think that the mechitzah is degrading to the honor or dignity of the Jewish woman. The best proof of this is that although the love of parents for their children is not only a very natural one, but has even been hallowed by the Torah, as we pray to G-d to show us the same fatherly feeling (“As a father has mercy on his children”), yet there is a din in the Shulchan Aruch that it is forbidden to kiss one’s children in shul, and, moreover, even not during the time of prayer. Not to mention the din of the Torah to esteem and honor every human being created in the “image” of G-d. To think that there could be anything degrading in the mechitzah is to betray complete ignorance not only of the significance of the mechitzah but of the whole attitude and way of the Torah.

One of the inner and essential reasons for the mechitzah—since you insist on an explanation—is that the synagogue, and the time of prayer in general (even when recited at home), are not merely the place and time when a formal petition is offered to Him Who is able to fulfill the petition; it is much more profound than that. It is the time and place when the person offering the prayer unites himself with Him to Whom the prayer is offered, by means of the prayer. And as our Sages declare: Know before Whom you stand: before the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. “Know” (da), as the term daas is explained in the Tanya, in the sense of unity, as in “And Adam knew Eve.” The union of two things can be complete only when there is not a third element involved, be it even a matter of holiness and the like.

From the above it follows that there certainly must be nothing to distract the attention and the attunement of the heart and mind towards the attainment of the highest degree of unity with G-d.

From the above it also follows that the separation of the sexes by a mechitzah has nothing to do with any particular condition or state in the women, as has been suggested to you.

It further follows also that the purpose of the mechitzah is not just to set up a visible boundary for which a mechitzah of several inches might do, but it must be one that completely hides the view, otherwise a mechitzah does not accomplish its purpose.

I have indicated above, though quite briefly, some of the basic facts about a mechitzah and the essential explanation behind it in order to answer your questions and satisfy your curiosity. I must say, however, quite emphatically, that the approach of measuring Torah and mitzvoth by the yardstick of the limited and often fallacious human reason is totally wrong. The human intellect is a very unreliable gauge, and quite changeable from one extreme to the other. Even in the so-called exact sciences, the unreliability of human reason and deduction has been amply demonstrated, and what was one day considered as an “absolute” truth is the next day abrogated with equal certainty and absoluteness. Hence to presume to make conditions in regard to the eternal and G-d-given Torah and mitzvoth is completely out of place.

Therefore, inasmuch as we have been instructed to have a mechitzah in the house of prayer, it would violate even the common sense to present a petition to the Almighty in a manner which displeases Him, and to add insult to injury, to declare that “the reason I do not accept this regulation is because my human intelligence suggests to act otherwise than is the will of the En Sof, yet, please fulfill my request anyway!”

Much more should be said on this subject, but it is difficult to do so in a letter.

(2) You ask, how can one accept the mishnah “All Israel have a portion in the world to come” and how, by the widest stretch of the imagination, can one believe that the worst apikores will have a share in the world to come?

The answer to your question may be found in various sources and is especially illuminated in the sources of Chassidus at length.

The belief of our Jewish people in true Monotheism is, of course, the very basis of our faith and way of life. This means not only that there is only One G-d and none other beside Him, but “nothing else beside Him” (ein od milvado). The whole Creation and all the worlds have no reality of their own, for there is only one Reality—G-d, inasmuch as a spark of G-dliness animates and keeps everything in existence, as it is written, “By the word of G-d the heavens were created,” etc. This “word” of G-d is the essence and reality of everything.

Thus, the individual you call “apikores” is also animated by the “word” of G-d, which is surely eternal, for that individual is also a part of Creation and is animated and sustained in the same way. Except that it was the will of the Creator that this individual, created by the word of G-d, should have complete freedom to choose good or bad, life or death, as it is written, “Behold, I place before you this day life and good, and death and evil.” The individual who misuses this gift of freedom and chooses evil loses and forfeits that part of this G-d-given energy which went into the commission of the sin or omission of the mitzvah, which, had he chosen otherwise, would have been imbued with an eternal quality. However, the very essence of his reality, that is, that which has been created and came into being by the word of G-d, cannot be destroyed, so long as it retains its essential character. It can only be soiled and stained by sin, G-d forbid.

But inasmuch as every individual Jew is a “whole world,” as our Sages said, and, moreover, the whole universe was created for his sake, and as the Sages commented on the word Breishis—for the sake of Yisroel called “Reishis,” the Jew who sinned most undergo various transformations and stages of purgatory to be cleansed of the impurities which had attached themselves to his soul, which is his essence, and which has a portion in the world to come because of its eternal quality.

This is also what our Sages meant when they succinctly said—as they often compress a far-reaching idea into a few concise words by way of explanation immediately following the statement in the said mishnah of Kol Yisroel: “For it is written, ‘and Thy people are all righteous . . . a branch of My planting, the work of My hand to be glorified (by them).’” Because every Jew contains in him something which is like a branch of the Divine Tree and the work of G-d’s own hands, it is eternal, and that is why “every Jew has a portion in the world to come.”

I trust that in harmony with your search for knowledge which you display in your letter, you have regular daily periods of study of the Torah and the Torah view, and that is the kind of study which leads to action and practice in the daily life, as our Sages emphasized that the essential thing is the deed.

The enclosed message will surely be of interest to you.

Wishing you and your fellow students a kosher, happy and inspiring Pesach.

With blessing,

[Signature]

How to Deal with a Jews Challenges - Insightful Letter of the Rebbe

2010-12-01T10:46:00.004-05:00

Jews in the world today face a myriad of issues. Is it still possible, or simple, to be a practicing Jew? The Avner Institute would like to present a first-time released letter to a Jew in Europe in which the Rebbe derives from the story of Chanukah a powerful message on overcoming daily challenges.

“Chanukah Live” was an event involving thousands of Jews who would join together with the Rebbe at “770,” Chabad headquarters. The Rebbe Archive would like to present two magnificent photos from “Chanukah Live” 1991, where holiday celebrations in New York, Paris, Moscow, Melbourne, Hong Kong and Jerusalem were united by satellite hookup. In the first photo you can see the Rebbe watching the menorah lighting in New York with Rabbi Shmuel Butman and mayor David Dinkins.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
22nd of Kislev 5732
Brooklyn, NY

Greeting and Blessing:

I received your letter and, as requested, I will remember you in prayer when visiting the holy resting place of my father-in-law of saintly memory.

It is purely unnecessary for me to emphasize to you that the daily conduct in accordance with the Torah and mitzvoth is the channel and vessel to receive G-d’s blessings. Therefore, every additional effort in this direction brings with it additional Divine blessings in all one’s needs.

If it sometimes appears difficult to follow the Jewish way of life in a world under circumstances which are not conducive to it, the difficulty is imaginary than real, and when there is a will and determination, all obstacles can be overcome. This is also the message of Chanukah, which we are soon to celebrate, which teaches us that with selfless determination even a small and weak minority can overcome a strong and large minority, just as a small light dispels a lot of darkness. I trust you will spread the light of the Torah and mitzvoth all around you and in a growing measure, which is the essential lesson of the mitzvah of Chanukah lights which we kindle in increasing numbers each night of Chanukah.

Hoping to hear good news from you,

With blessing,
[signature]

Encounter With The Lubavitcher Rebbe & Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ZT’L

2010-11-17T09:16:00.006-05:00

Regarding tefillin, the black leather casing donned by Jewish men during prayer, the Torah commands (Deut. 6:8): “Bind them as a sign upon your arm and they shall be for tefillin between your eyes.” Tefillin, which contain the four Scriptural passages mentioning this mitzvah, are worn differently, according to custom and community, and the “Rashi” tefillin was the pair for a Lubavitcher boy becoming bar mitzvah. However, during a public talk in 1976, the Rebbe mentioned the importance of donning two pairs of tefillin instead of one – a practice commonly known as “tefillin d’Rabbeinu Tam.”

This practice was slowly integrated into the Lubavitcher community. But there were those outside of Lubavitcher circles who adopted the practice as well—among them Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986), the most prominent scholar and authority of his day, whose Igrot Moshe, a compilation of responsa, addressed numerous legal and ethical issues. Who encouraged Rabbi Feinstein to follow the Rebbe’s directive? The following story contains fascinating details of this came about thanks to one of the Rebbe’s ardent supporters.

The Rebbe Archive presents two newly released photos of the Rebbe from 6 Tishrei 5732/ 1971, with special thanks to the Minkowitz family.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

The Rebbe's Announcement

It was Purim, 5736/1976. The farbrengen, the Chassidic gathering, was in full sway, and the listeners were particularly festive, given the celebration of that glorious ancient holiday. It was enough to hear the Rebbe’s words extolling the triumph of Esther and Mordechai to feel the joy and energy.

Suddenly the Rebbe changed the topic and began to speak about the merits of putting on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin (in addition to the more widely used Rashi tefillin). On the tape recording one can hear the Rebbe say (in a voice that is especially mellifluous), “This is the place to clarify and respond to a question many have … the question of whether to put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin. My view is clear that now is the time to put on two pairs of tefillin . . . . It is obligatory, during the times of the footsteps of Moshiach, to also put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin . . . . Whoever wishes to should put on Rabeinu Tam tefillin in addition to Rashi tefillin will be blessed.”

To those gathered at the farbrengen, it was quite a shock. Although the Alter Rebbe (the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, Shneur Zalman of Liadi) writes in Piskei Ha’Siddur that every G-d fearing man should lay Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, Chabad Chassidim waited for the Rebbe’s permission, and not till after their wedding. Rarely—and only with authorization—did bar mitzvah boys do so! Nevertheless, in the sicha of parshat Va’eschanan 5749/1989, the Rebbe advised that they be worn even in the two months prior to the bar mitzvah.

Gradually, as a result of the Rebbe’s instruction, his followers began to don Rabeinu Tam tefillin. Yet, surprisingly, they were not the only ones. The legal authority of the time, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l, then Rosh Yeshivat Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem (MTJ) on the Lower East Side, also decided to take on this practice, despite not having heard the Rebbe directly. There is a fascinating story behind this that is being shared to mark the 41st year of Mitzvah Tefillin, which the Rebbe initiated on Lag B’Omer 1967.

In the years after Mitzvah Tefillin was introduced, Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Spritzer worked assiduously to influence Jews to put on tefillin. In order to facilitate the daily practice, he would persuade them to buy a pair of tefillin, which ranged from $30 to $40 (the equivalent of $250 today), and strived to get the lowest price by purchasing the four Scriptural verses (parshiot) from a sofer (scribe), the battim (casings) from someone else, and the straps from yet a third person.

In 1974 the Rebbe announced Mitzvah Mezuzah, where he asked that every Jewish home have kosher mezuzos. The Rebbe compared a mezuzah to a helmet that protects one from harm. Rabbi Hershel threw himself into this campaign too, and made sure that affordable mezuzos were put up in hundreds of Jewish homes.

Fateful Encounter

One year, on the plane back from Eretz Yisrael where he had visited his father, a distinguished Belzer Chassid, Rabbi Hershel took out a sefer and invited his seatmate to join him. When this seatmate introduced himself as Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein’s son-in-law, Rabbi Spritzer thought this a good opportunity to reach Rabbi Feinstein. Describing the Rebbe’s mitzvah campaigns he asked, “When were Rabbi Feinstein’s mezuzos last checked?”

Rabbi Dr. Tendler was taken aback. He didn’t know what to say. He was unaware of when they were last checked and who had checked them. Despite his father-in-law’s having the finest mezuzos, they, like all mezuzos, needed to be checked periodically. Rabbi Hershel offered to do this and return them as quickly as possible.

A day or two later, Rabbi Hershel went to the home of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein to collect the mezuzos and bring them to the scribe. He then submitted a report of his activities to the Rebbe. Since the Rebbe had spoken of the importance of putting on Rabeinu Tam tefillin, Rabbi Spritzer considered discussing this with Rabbi Feinstein and the next day made an appointment, scheduled for a Wednesday a few weeks later.

Avid Listener

When he met Rabbi Feinstein and brought up the subject, he was surprised to learn that the sage had put on Rabbeinu Tam until age eighteen but then stopped. Rabbi Feinstein asked, “What did the Rebbe say at the farbrengen?”, and added that he would happily comply if the Rebbe were involved in their procurement—picking the scribe to write the verses and giving his opinion on the other details.

At Rabbi Feinstein’s request for the Beis Yosef script, Rabbi Hershel went that very day and asked Rabbi Eliezer Zirkind, a friend and scribe in Crown Heights, whether he could oblige. After Rabbi Hershel explained who the tefillin were for and the importance of having the revered leader put on Rabbeinu Tam, Rabbi Zirkind agreed to write them in Beis Yosef script specially for Rabbi Feinstein.

Rabbi Hershel immediately wrote to the Rebbe about the developments. A few hours later, at midnight, the phone rang at Rabbi Zirkind’s house. Mrs. Zirkind answered the phone.

The Rebbe’s secretary Rabbi Hodakov, asked, “Is Rabbi Zirkind awake?”

When a groggy Rabbi Zirkind came to the phone, Rabbi Hodakov asked whether he could come to the office right away. Shortly after, Rabbi Zirkind knocked on Rabbi Hodakov’s office door at 770.

“The Rebbe asked that you meet with Rabbi Feinstein to discuss the details of the
writing of the tefillin,” Rabbi Hodakov explained. “The meeting has already been arranged. Tomorrow at nine, Rabbi Feinstein will be waiting.”

The next day Rabbi Zirkind met with Rabbi Feinstein and introduced himself as the sofer who met the Rebbe’s approval and was proficient in Beis Yosef script. Rabbi Feinstein, greatly pleased, began discussing the writing. One of Rabbi Feinstein’s requests regarded the way in which Rabbi Zirkind should write the tefillin. Based on Kabbalah, Rabbi Zirkind generally wrote tefillin without interruption, not even speaking until after placing the verses into the boxes. The process took at least eight hours. Rabbi Feinstein asked that, given the Beis Yosef script, which Rabbi Zirkind didn’t usually write, each section be written separately. Rabbi Feinstein wanted to inspect each one upon completion before the next would be written.

Rabbi Zirkind sat down to write the first verse the very next day. When he was done, he sent it to Rabbi Feinstein, then went on to the next section.

The writing of the tefillin was completed two days later, on a Sunday afternoon. After Rabbi Feinstein approved all of the sections, Rabbi Zirkind brought them to him in size four by four-inch boxes, according to Chabad custom. After placing the tefillin on his head to check the size, Rabbi Feinstein asked for smaller boxes, since a small part of the base did not lay flat on his forehead. The boxes changed, Rabbi Zirkind brought the tefillin to Rabbi Feinstein, who resumed laying Rabeinu Tam that very same day.

The Rebbe's Letter

A letter from Rabbi Feinstein, dated Erev Shabbos Shekalim 5740, to the Rebbe appears in volume eight of Rabbi Feinstein’s Igros Moshe in which Rabbi Feinstein thanks the Rebbe for his help and mentions that in his youth, when he lived in Lublin, he had put on Rabbeinu Tam regularly. “I put them on after davening but on condition that it would be bli neder [without a promise]. But when questions arose about whether one could fulfill the mitzvah according to the view of Rabbeinu Tam, I did not do so anymore.”

Rabbi Feinstein humbly thanks the Rebbe for urging the wearing of Rabbeinu Tam tefillin. “And now, when I was informed in the name of the Rebbe that there are parshiyos of tefillin d’Rabbeinu Tam for me, to my specifications, this is a great thing, aside from being able to also fulfill the mitzvah of putting on tefillin d’Rabeinu Tam as I was accustomed to doing. As for the money, I thank Hashem Who helped me and will help me pay the sofer what he asks for, and the sofer will get good battim … and surely the sofer will also write ksav Beis Yosef.” Rabbi Feinstein ends the letter with the salutation, “who greatly esteems him [the Rebbe].”

A few days went by and Rabbi Feinstein received a response from the Rebbe in which the Rebbe acknowledged his letter and made some points about tefillin Rabbeinu Tam. In the letter, the Rebbe writes (free translation):

The Rabbi and Gaon… Rabbi Moshe Feinstein

Subsequent to inquiring after Shalom Toraso!

Recently, I received two letters from Kvod Toraso (of 27 Shevat and Erev Shabbos Shekalim) and am responding with haste to thank and bless you for the brachos and wishes, etc. And mainly as it says explicitly in the verse: “I will bless those who bless you” – Hashem with His blessing and His addition to the blessing, which is greater than the original (Devarim Rabba 1:13) and in Berachos (55a) – that you should live long, good days and years. And especially, since you attached a response discussing a number of matters regarding tefillin and the conclusion regarding the actual practice of tefillin (d’Rabbeinu Tam). And being that the middah [trait] of HaKadosh Baruch Hu is measure for measure with (but many times more), then according to this, (an increase in) one who puts on tefillin (brings an increase in the reward of) lengthens his days as it says, “Hashem is upon them, may they live… and He should fortify me (with health) and grant me life (end of Menachos 44a).” Particularly as regards (the arm that is opposite) the heart and (the head that is opposite) the brain – Chabad of our Holy Torah all the way to drawing conclusions according to halacha.

With honor and esteem and manifold blessings,
M. Schneersohn

“Pilgrimage to Eastern Parkway” NY Times Article about “770”

2010-11-10T09:19:00.006-05:00

Over the years the “pilgrimage to Eastern Parkway” was the goal of thousands who craved a glimpse of their leader to feel inspired and reenergized. The Avner Institute would like to present a magnificent photo of the Rebbe from 6 Tishrei 5732/1971, together with an article from the New York Times from September 24, 1977 describing the intensely spiritual atmosphere of a farbrengen, a Chassidic gathering.

With special thanks to the Minkowitz family.

Good Shabbos,
Menachem

By Francis X. Clines

One good thing about traveling from Tunisia and France and Des Moines to Crown heights, Brooklyn, for the Jewish holy days this month is that a visitor can purchase necessities he can’t get anywhere else, such as a reliable water heater for the mikva [ritual bathing pool]. Or a handy little machine that kneads challah. And a fine selection of tefillin, the little containers of holy scripture worn near the heart and mind to show Divine dedication
.
Best of all about the trip, says Joseph Pinson, a 27-year-old Jewish proselytizer who came all the way from Nice, is the chance to crowd into the synagogue on eastern Parkway and hear the Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, speak for four and a half hours straight on themes holy and human. More than 4,000 listeners per homily have been crammed together devotedly during this current holy season when the Rebbe, a man with 75 years of life and a long white beard, speaks.

He is enough of an attraction to cause something of a reversal of standard holiday travel patterns. The humble but sturdy neighborhood of attached brick houses and tired storefronts is hardly a resort area, but Crown Heights is currently brimming with hundreds of visitors who arrived by charter plane and auto caravan to hear the Rebbe and be near him.

Many of them are fervent members of the Lubavitcher coming home spiritually from overseas assignments. Spare rooms and cots are scarce among the 25,000 residents of Crown Heights. This patch of Brooklyn is the tightly knit heart of a worldwide campaign to renew ultra-Orthodox fervor for the ordinary Jew—a Hasidic branch that began 200 years ago in Russia
.
The Rebbe is a charismatic religious leader, more than a passive figurehead. Even in quieter periods curious visitors come to check what they have heard about him, and Jewish children from Reform and apostate precincts in the affluent suburbs are sent in tours by modern parents who feel an obligation to their progeny of curiosity, if not faith.

The Rebbe has a temporal role, too, that summons memories of the late Francis Cardinal Spellman. Twice each week at the Lubavitcher headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, he holds yechidus—private audiences—for all sorts of people, including politicians and business leaders. Last Sunday night, after the final television debate of the Democratic mayoral primary, the first thing Edward I. Koch, the eventual winner, did was to go out to Crown Heights and visit the Rebbe.

For the hundreds of pilgrims now in Crown Heights, the hotels of Manhattan are ruled out because the faithful must deny themselves transportation conveniences on holy days. Preference also rules out a fuller Big Apple splurge, because many of them have little more than plane fare and are eating free at a special community soup kitchen on Kingston Avenue.

For the Lubavitcher visitors, Crown Heights may as well be Jerusalem, and their whole year seems built around the visit.

These days the scene during the quieter hours at the somewhat ragged converted basement synagogue on Eastern Parkway is of a horde of bearded patriarchs in dull-colored suits and long coats side by side with their songs, whippets of the Holy Word, sitting and standing around benches, praying loudly or trance-like, chatting amiably through cigarette smoke, staring at words on pages and, for a few, snoozing through it all.

This mild hubbub is continuous. When the Rebbe comes to speak the room becomes glutted chaotically until he begins, and the women crowd up together separately in the glassed-in galleries.

Joseph Pinson timed his trip from France, where he has scratched out the roots of a Lubavitcher youth center, to catch the Rebbe’s address last Sunday night. Joseph’s 60-year-old father, Nison, had arrived from his Lubavitcher school in Tunisia, and Joseph had just enough time to drop his suitcase off at the house of his sister, Faggie Hecht, who lives in Crown Heights on Empire Boulevard.

“There is no four-star hotel in Crown Heights,” Joseph Pinson says. “But we manage gladly, for this is a personal meeting with ourselves and we are coming home to the source, the Rebbe, to get his blessing and advice, to put questions and problems to him.”

In this holy month known as Tishrei, the Rebbe has a heavy schedule for addressing the multitude—at least 25 hours, plus private audiences for many of the visitors. As the time for one of his addresses arrives, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky or another of his chief aides passes the signal to the Lubavitcher’s communications center and in less than an hour, the movement’s outposts across the country and the world are hooked together through 25 special telephone lines to carry his words live. In Jerusalem, there is a special siren signal to summon the Rebbe’s followers to loudspeakers by the Temple wall.

These broadcasts are religious events, and the only thing better, Joseph Pinson says, is to be in the great crowd these days in the Crown Heights synagogue when the Rebbe speaks In this visit home, the Pinson family celebrated the marriage of Joseph’s sister, Tscherna, to Laibel Matusof.

This union of two far-flung, devoted Lubavitcher families brought together 400 relatives and guests, many of them pilgrims from Africa and Europe. They celebrated for seven hours, until 1:30 in the morning, and the Rebbe offered a prayer book and his personal blessing for the families to take with them when they go back out from Crown Heights.

Feminism + Conversions Incredible Letter of the Rebbe

2010-11-05T10:04:00.003-04:00

In the area of outreach the Rebbe displayed remarkable acuity mixed with compassion. He understood that not all Jews were alike, and that special cases involving coed learning or contact with those far removed from the faith required discretion.

The Avner Institute would like to present a fascinating letter to a young Russian student filled with advice on some of the most controversial issues that face the Jewish world today, with special thanks to the Zionist Archives of Jerusalem.

The Rebbe Archive presents a Photo of the Rebbe at a farbrengen in the mid-1970’s.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Greeting and Blessing:

For technical reasons it is more convenient to reply to your letter in English than in Russian. You may, of course, continue to write to me in Russian, but let me know if you prefer to receive the reply in Hebrew, Yiddish, or English.

Now to reply to the questions in your letter of 3 Cheshvan—which reached me with some delay:

Question 1: In a certain city there are Jews who converted to Christianity, and some of them now feel an urge towards Judaism and would like to join a Torah-study group. What should be the attitude towards them?

Answer: In general, each individual has to be considered as a separate case, and the criterion for admission to the study group should be an assessment of the expected result: is the individual likely to return to Judaism by attending the Torah study, or will it have the opposite effect?

In making such an assessment, two kinds of individuals should be borne in mind. There may be one who has become a missionary. In this case, he should not be judged in the “scale of merit.” Moreover, it is in the nature of such a convert to seek “justification” for his conversion at every opportunity. Hence he will not stop at deliberately distorting and misrepresenting the truth.

A further factor is this: The Torah classes are attended by Jews, not all of whom are 100% firmly entrenched in Judaism; some of them are rather weak and have doubts. Consequently, if these were to meet with the said element in an atmosphere of Torah learning and discussion, the association may be very harmful of them in view of the weakness of their own convictions.

On the other hand, there is a second type of convert, namely, those who convert not because they have been brainwashed, but for some foolish external reason, and more particularly those who come under the category of tinok nishba. In this case the prospect of helping those to return to Judaism is of course more promising.
The above are general guidelines, and each individual case should be considered on its own merits, as mentioned.

In addition there are other general points to be considered:

In view of the Holocaust—which was largely an outgrowth of centuries-long animosity and persecution systematically perpetrated against Jews, if there is a Jew who, despite living in such close proximity in time and place to this atrocity, yet finds it proper in his mind and heart to become a part of, and be identified with, the creed and its proponents who claimed so many innocent Jewish victims, men, women, and children, all in the name of Christianity—then perhaps it may be possible to bring him back to his senses in other ways, but hardly by means of Torah lessons.

At the same time, considering those among the study circle members who are so-called borderline cases, whose Jewish identity is still weak and who have to be strengthened in their commitment to Torah, it is easy to see how harmful it would be for them to come into close association with that element, all the more so since it would be difficult to limit such association to the period of Torah study and preclude them from meeting afterwards in other situations.

Question 2: When inviting non-observant Jews, who had been brought up in non-observant homes, is it right to drink wine with them?

Answer: In view of the fact that non-observant Jews constitute a wide range from one end to the other, and, for understandable reasons, it is impossible to check everyone’s Jewish credentials—why enter into a questionable situation, when there are many other drinks than wine that could be served in such company, with no sha’alah involved? Especially as the sha’alah (in most cases) involves also a question about the kashrus of the wine.

Where there is no question about the wine, and the occasion in inviting a guest (or guests) for Shabbos or Yom Tov, when Kiddush is involved, it is advisable that the host alone make Kiddush, and limit the partaking of wine to Kiddush only.

Question 3: There is a group of young women who would also like to learn Torah. Would it be permissible to admit them to men’s study classes, or should separate classes be formed for the women? In the latter case, would it be proper to have male instructors for them?

Answer: In view of the extraordinary circumstances and difficulties in that country, I would be inclined to take a more lenient view to admit women into the men’s classes. However, in order to emphasize the exception due to extenuating circumstances, and also in order to be mindful of the din, two provisions should be made: one, to teach in a coed class such subjects that are incumbent also on women, such as the laws obligatory also for women (kashrus, laws of Shabbos and Yom Tov, etc.),

and, of course, also the basics of our faith, love and fear of G-d, prayer, and the like—subjects that are dealt with in chassidus. Second, that separate seating should be arranged for men and women. This would preclude also other personal associations, such as mixed dancing, etc. Although we are speaking of persons who, by reason of background, are not otherwise averse to mixed dancing and socializing, it is obvious that this should not be permitted in these groups, and no heter should be given to such practices, explicit or implied.

I must emphasize again that the heter mentioned above in regard to coed study is based on the special extenuating circumstances prevailing in that particular country, there being no other way to save them from assimilation and intermarriage. It should in no way serve as a precedent for other cases where those circumstances do not prevail, not continued even in that same case when the situation improves sufficiently not to have recourse to that heter.

Turning to the rest of your letter, I will remember in prayer those you mention when visiting the holy resting place of my father-in-law of saintly memory, whose concern for his fellow-Jews, particularly in that country, knew no bounds, to the point of self-sacrifice. And, as our Sages of the Talmud, like the Shepherds of our Jewish people, do not forsake their flock even after the histalkus, and continue to intercede On High in their behalf.

By the way—indeed, more than that—you surely know that my father-in-law, when he was in that country, had organized a group of young Jews of higher learning, by the name of “Tiferes Bachurim,” under the successful leadership of an academician named Kazhdan (working under the guidance of Rabbi Y. Landau, now in Eretz Yisroel). I would be interested to know if the Kazhdan is related to you.

With prayerful wishes and with blessings,

[Signature]

The Rebbe writes to a College Student

2010-10-29T10:10:00.007-04:00

Following a private audience of university students from New York, one of the attendees wrote the Rebbe a letter filled with questions: Why is the dissemination of Chassidism so important? Who – and what – truly benefits? The Rebbe answers, while taking fatherly interest in this writer’s personal life, and explains how Chassidism affects the world in more ways than one.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a unique picture of the Rebbe entering 770 in the year 1983. Behind the Rebbe is a “Mitzva Tank” that was newly purchased and was on its way to Israel, first making a stop at Lubavitch headquarters.

This email is dedicated to Menachem Mendel HaKohen ben Shifra Aviva, may he have a complete and speedy recovery.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Blessing and Greeting:

Your letter of October 4th duly reached me, but owing to pressure of work I was unable to acknowledge it sooner.

I wonder why you do not mention anything about your health. I presume it is a sign that you are enjoying good health, and I trust you will continue to do so.

I trust that you have learned to take your personal problem in stride and you are not reacting to it as acutely as before. In time you will realize that it should never have given you so much anxiety in the first place, and that “This is also for good,” as our Sages said.

With regard to the question of furthering the cause of Chassidism, the first thing that everybody can and must do is to exercise a beneficial influence on the environment. This is so urgent that at times one cannot weigh one’s own merits, but simultaneously with improving one’s self it is necessary to try to benefit the other by spreading the light of the Torah in general and of Chassidism in particular.

Experience has also shown that in endeavoring to enrich the other spiritually, one becomes more receptive to spiritual influence himself. The important thing is that such endeavor should not remain confined to the intellect, but should be translated into practical experience, in thought, word and action of everyday life.

As I told you when you were here, one should not worry too much about personal problems, for we have a great G-d, Whose Divine Providence guides the whole universe, and the small universe (microcosm) of each and every individual. Thus it often happens that difficulties that at first seem surmountable, or goals unattainable, prove an illusion, and achievements are made sometimes even without undue exertion.
Wishing you harmonious wellbeing, and looking forward to hearing from you good news in every way.

Cordially,
[signed]
M. Schneerson

A Photo of The Previous Rebbe Poland 1938

2010-10-29T10:06:00.005-04:00

The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Joseph Issac (Yosef Yitzhak) Schneersohn (1880– 1950) was the epitome of self-sacrifice and keeper of the Jewish flame in the brutal Soviet regime that broke him physically but not spiritually. A prolific author and diarist, he spent hours writing his Chassidic discourses and memoirs. The Avner Institute would like to present a dramatic photograph dated 1938 of the Previous Rebbe, who is seated pensively in a hotel, in a suburb in Poland, while immersed in his customary learning and writing.

With special thanks to the Lishinsky family of Ramat Gan, Israel, for sending us this photo in it's original format.

We would also like to present a profound excerpt by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, director of the Ask the Rabbi team of Chabad.org, who quotes the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson’s admiration for his father-in-law.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

"He Was Self-Sacrifice"

"Those who seek out self-sacrifice will find it eventually. But my father-in-law didn't seek self-sacrifice—he was self-sacrifice, wherever it was needed, in whatever form it might come.

And so, whether under Russian oppression, among Polish Jewry or in the freedom of America, in all three stages of his leadership, in all he did his entire being was there, to its very core."

(Yud Shevat 5734; Tammuz 12, 5735;
Likutei Sichos vol. 18, pp 300-307)

-Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

A Unique Photo With a Moving Story Behind it

2010-10-15T11:33:00.004-04:00

To the Rebbe, honoring Jewish traditions—including those not of Chabad origin--was very important. Rabbi Kivi Bernhard, now living in Atlanta, GA, had the merit, while a bochur, to witness the Rebbe’s tremendous respect for Jews of all backgrounds. In the following photo, captured at just the right moment, he is standing and watching the Rebbe receive a visitor’s special greeting. “It was a very interesting exchange and a fascinating insight into the Rebbe and his appreciation of minhagei klal Yisroel (Jewish custom and practice).”

With special thanks to Rabbi Kivi Bernhard for the Photo and moving encounter.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Kivi Bernhard relates:

"It was 1982, and this was now my second Rosh Hashana that I would be traveling from South Africa to spend with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Before I departed from Johannesburg, my father Rabbi Nachman Bernhard (may he live and be well), a very close confidant of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, pulled me aside at the airport and shared the following with me: “There are many rabbis, rabbeim, teachers, sages and mentors the world over. But Kivi, a Rebbe is an entirely different thing altogether. As you go now to be at the Rebbe for the Yom Tov (High Holidays) you have the opportunity to observe what a Jew is in its essence. Watch the Rebbe intently and study the detail. You will glean gems of Judaism.”

My father had given me a mission, not just an instruction, and I was now on my way. His words were almost prophetic, as the following small but profound encounter took place while I was privileged to be nearby the Rebbe.

There is a well known tradition amongst Jews to share honey cake with one another the days before Rosh Hashana to induce a sentiment of “sweetness” as we head into the days of judgment. This was a converted practice of the Rebbe, and the day before Rosh Hashana he would distribute lekach [honey cake] and a short blessing for success, to hundreds of people for hours on end.

For me, as a visitor to Crown Heights (the Rebbe’s headquarters), this was a major opportunity to have some “private time” with the Rebbe, and I made sure to be there early and assume my place in line. I found myself behind a very nice man who was clearly of Sefardi tradition. We spoke awhile and he shared with me that he was a Yemenite Jew living in Brooklyn who made an effort to see the Rebbe of Lubavitch whenever possible. We stood on line for about an hour before finding ourselves in the Rebbe’s chambers about to receive lekach and a blessing from him.

My new friend was now up and stood in front of the Rebbe. In keeping with his Sefardi tradition, he instinctively sought to take the Rebbe’s hand to kiss it (a well known practice among many Sefardi Jews when greeting a great Torah sage and personality). Suddenly however, my friend withdrew in response to verbal and some light physical pressure that was suddenly thrust on him from some of the young “organizers” that were “helping out” the Rebbe.

They felt they were doing the Rebbe a big favor by zealously discouraging anything that was not in keeping with the Chabad tradition. Even though there were many occasions where Sefardi leaders and Jews did in fact kiss the Rebbe’s hand, it was not a custom of Chabad and might be seen as inappropriate amongst the “passionate” followers of the Rebbe. The Rebbe was clearly frustrated by this misplaced display of “righteous fervor” and the following fascinating and penetrating lesson unfolded.

As this Sfardi man responded to the pressure and retracted his hands that had reached out to kiss the hand of the Rebbe (in an effort to simply behave like everyone else), the Rebbe engaged him with a penetrating look and said, “Nu?” The Rebbe himself then extended his right hand back to the man, who then took it and kissed it.

The Rebbe then smiled at him, while all around registered what the Rebbe had just taught us. It was not only about the Rebbe insuring that another human being should not be embarrassed, but it was a critical message to validate the importance and bona-fide of a minhag klal Yisroel (established custom of the Jewish people) , even though not the personal custom of the Rebbe or Chabad.

This is why you see the Rebbe looking at the gentleman so intently while kissing his hand. The Rebbe wanted him to practice his tradition as a Sefardi Jew and to do so with joy, with passion and with completeness.

A Jewish custom and tradition is a holy thing. Through this encounter I had, the Rebbe certainly taught me, at least, that as we love our fellow Jews and draw them near, we must respect other Jewish traditions and practices, clearly understanding that they are not to become subject to our own personal interpretation or cultural whim and wham.

My father was of course right: the essence of the Rebbe served to show us who we are as Jews, not just what to do as Jews.

A Unique Letter to Professor Luchins

2010-10-08T11:47:00.006-04:00

Torah and philosophy. How does the wisdom of our Sages differ from that of a modern-day secular scholar? Or do all “great minds” think alike? The following is an insightful letter to Dr. Abraham Luchins, famed American Gestalt psychologist and pioneer of group therapy, in which the Rebbe decries the ethics seriously lacking within western thought, versus the moral clarity of Torah.

With special thanks to his son, Dr. David Luchins, professor of American politics and international relations and founding dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women, for the letter and to Rabbi Ephraim Mintz, director of the Jewish Learning Institute.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe seeing off the thousands of guests who came to spend the month of Tishrei with him of 1961.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d
14 Teves 5731
Brooklyn, NY

Prof. & Mrs. Abraham S. Luchins
53 Fordham Court
Albany, NY 12209

Greeting & Blessing:

This is to thank you for Vols. II and III of Wertheimer’s Seminars Revisited, which I have just received. While I have had no time as yet to look into them more closely, I have thumbed through the pages. In doing so, I was again reminded of the saying of our Sages to the effect that “if anyone says the nations of the world have a Torah, do not believe it; but if one says that they have science, do believe it.”

In fact, I had occasion to discuss the subject at the farbrengen. The point of the said statement is that in the non-Jewish world it is possible to find outstanding thinkers and philosophers who might find solutions to the various problems confronting humanity, yet they can go through the process of thinking with complete detachment, so that the solutions which they come up with remains theoretical, and do not touch upon their own lives. Indeed, the thinker or philosopher or scientist might, in his personal life, act quite contrary to the high moral and ethical concepts which he expounds.

It is quite different in regard to our Torah, which is our wisdom and science in the eyes of the nations. For to us Torah means teaching and guidance (from the word horo’o), that is to say, that it penetrates and permeates our lives. This is because it has the power to compel, as it were, the Torah student and follower to translate the solution which it provides into practical deed. It gives the Torah Jew the strength to resist and subjugate the yetzer hara, as our Sages of blessed memory express it: barati yetzer hara, berati Torah tavlin (“I have created the yetzer hara, but I have also created the Torah as an antidote”).

With all good wishes for your hatzlocho in your work, as well as in your good influence to spread and strengthen the light of the Torah and mitzvoth to the utmost of your capacities.

With blessing,
[signature]

P.S. I was pleasantly surprised to see in the press that your son actively participated in the Convention of the Union of Orthodox Congregations in Washington.

Rebbetzin Chana's Moving Memories

2010-09-14T14:18:00.006-04:00

The Rebbe’s mother Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, whose Yahrzeit is 6 Tishrei, was an extraordinary woman—a true helpmate to the Rebbe’s father Rav Levi Yitzchok Schneerson during the dark years of the Soviet regime. The Avner Institute would like to present a gripping anecdote from her memoirs in which she describes her husband’s commitment to observe the Tishrei holidays of 1934 in those terrible times, and his influence.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a beautiful photo of the Rebbe, with special thanks to Mendy Heyward.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

In her diary, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, remembers the profound dedication and Mesiras Nefesh of her Husband that took place during the Month of Tishrei 1934:

"By this year only two shuls remained in our city Yekatrinoslav. One of these had been founded and was being attended by a group of workingmen. The gabbai [caretaker] was a tailor, the treasurer a shoemaker. Precisely for this reason, that it housed a congregation of manual laborers—proletariats—it had not been seized by the Communists. It was in this shul that my husband the Rav prayed.

Once the Rav affiliated himself with this congregation, many other people joined as well. As most of these newcomers were from higher levels of society, it became somewhat difficult for the administrators of the shul to carry out their functions. Even so, they had to remain in their positions to ensure that there would be exclusively a "rule by the proletariat." (Indeed, I could relate many amusing incidents from their term of office, but it would be out of place here.)

The administrators asserted that they felt small and insignificant in the presence of the Rav, and they accorded him great respect. Although they had not been acquainted with him previously, once they came to know him they recognized that he was a person of noble character who was not at all part of the bourgeoisie—therefore a man whom they could trust completely.

By this time there were very few professional cantors in Russia. Those men who had strong and pleasant voices, who were able to carry a tune, and who knew well the mode of the liturgy would hire themselves out to lead the prayer-services for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Most of these men had government positions and were therefore entitled to a month's vacation each year which they would strive to have coincide with the month of festivals, Tishrei. Then they would leave their homes to be employed in cities other than their own.

In their prayers they would give vent to all the emotions that had built up in their hearts over the course of the year. These cantors were paid very well, but in secret; to avoid the exorbitant tax levied on religious functionaries, their salaries were officially recorded as the bare minimum.

One day, two such gentlemen came to Yekatrinoslav. The first, Mr. Lieber, was a highly-regarded opera singer. His clothes resembled those of a theater performer. However, he was a Jew of illustrious ancestry, a descendant of the Maggid of Mezritch, successor of the Baal Shem Tov. He occasionally related stories that he had heard for his grandfather and other Chassidic stories too, but he would tell them in a halting, awkward manner.

The second, whose appearance was closer to that of a typical cantor, was employed as an accountant for a government company. He was knowledgeable of Torah and an offspring of the well-known rabbinical family Shapiro of Slavitta.

These two candidates declared that a proper Jewish atmosphere for prayer was of the utmost importance to them. Therefore, when the reputation of Rabbi Schneerson reached them, they decided to travel to Yekatrinoslav. Upon arrival, they immediately went to see the Rav and requested his advice on how to do well in this profession, as well as how to best utilize their talents to inspire people and strengthen their Jewish consciousness, an identity that the government was determined to eradicate.

The Rav discussed with them their concerns and invited them to Yekatrinoslav for the month of Tishrei to lead the prayers in his shul during the Days of Awe and the festival of Sukkot. Words are inadequate to describe the special mood and the overwhelming spiritual outpouring which pervaded the congregation during the Days of Awe that year, a result of the influence of the Rav and those two cantors.

On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur a considerable number of the members had to be present at their places of employment. The Rav arranged a special service for them that began very early in the morning, in order that by eight o'clock they would have completed the morning prayers and be on their way.

On Yom Kippur all of these people returned to the shul immediately after work and arrived just in time for the closing prayer, Neilah. By then the synagogue was so packed with people that many were forced to pray outside in the street. Weak from the twenty-four hour fast, weary from having walked great distances, and full of sorrow from having had to work on these holiest of days, these Jews stood, crushed in spirit, and prayed from the depths of their broken hearts.

All of these congregants were grateful to the Rav for having made the special efforts which enabled them to pray communally. For his part, he would cry bitterly whenever he discussed the situation with them. On the other hand, he was pleased by their tremendous spiritual arousal. With joy and amazement he would exclaim, "See, this is a Jew!"

When Yom Kippur ended, it was always difficult for him to return to a regular weekday existence. Instead, he would break his fast with a glass of tea and sit and talk until late at night with the many visitors who came to be with him and hear his words during those hours. His discussions would deal primarily with the exalted nature of the Jewish soul and the extraordinary power of self-sacrifice that is hidden in every Jew.

The same scene would be repeated on Simchat Torah. Anyone who wished to truly enjoy the festival would make sure to pass by our house as soon as darkness fell. Young people—with whom the government was even stricter in religious matters—would also arrive, each trying his best to not be seen entering the building. When they entered, the Rav would speak with each one personally; after a short time, they would forget about which country they were living in and the lives that they led there.

Professor Herman Branover & The Rebbe

2010-09-14T14:14:00.006-04:00

While many Jews might eschew Western science, the Rebbe saw its enormous potential and its amazing compatibility with Torah thought. The Avner Institute would like to present a dialogue, recorded 20 years ago, with Prof. Yirmiyahu (Herman) Branover, famed scientist and refusenik, who relied on the Rebbe’s professional guidance and sophisticated knowledge.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a charming photo of the Rebbe distributing lekach (honey cake) during the month of Tishrei 5734/1973. With special thinks to Mendy Heyward.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Professor Yirmiyahu (Herman) Branover, born in Riga, Latvia, is a world-renowned authority on magneto-hydrodynamics. While in Russia, Professor Branover's research in this field had won him an international reputation. When Professor Branover applied for an emigration visa to Israel his career in the Soviet Union ended. He was dismissed from the Academy of Sciences in Riga and prevented from continuing his research.

During this time, he was exposed to Chasidic philosophy by members of the Lubavitch underground. When he finally emigrated from the USSR to Israel in 1972, he was a fully observant Jew.

After making aliyah, Professor Branover was in constant demand as a lecturer on the subject of science and Torah. Campus audiences around the globe flocked to hear an acclaimed scientist reconcile his belief in the Torah with the supposed conflicts in modern science.

"In the winter of 1973," relates Professor Branover, "I was on a lecture tour in the United States. Shortly before I lectured at the University of Pennsylvania, I was privileged to have a private meeting with the Rebbe, Among other matters, I mentioned the trip to Philadelphia. The Rebbe commented: 'During your stay in Philadelphia, introduce yourself to a local professor who has an interest in your field.'

"The Rebbe's statement baffled me. I was well acquainted with the names of American scientists involved in magneto-hydrodynamics. I was certain there was no one in my field in Philadelphia.

"I traveled to Philadelphia and the emissary there convinced me that we should visit two universities and check the faculties. After hours of searching, we were introduced to Professor Hsuan Yeh, who was clearly knowledgeable in magneto-hydrodynamics.
"Professor Yeh told me: 'In six weeks there will be a Magneto-Hydrodynamic Energy Convention at Stanford University in California. I will insist that you be added to the list of lecturers.'

"I appreciated the professor's offer, but declined; we were anxious to return to Israel. I returned to New York. Just before leaving, I wrote the Rebbe a report of our trip to Philadelphia, mentioning my encounter with Professor Yeh. The Rebbe advised me to reschedule my plans and to accept the invitation, for the convention presented an important opportunity.

"My wife and I were taken by surprise. However, we were acquainted enough with the Rebbe to value his advice. I called Professor Yeh, who was happy to arrange for me to deliver a lecture.

"The significance of my participation became rapidly clear. I met two representatives of the Office of Naval Research who had read about my work and were prepared to finance further research. They added, 'We understand that you want to establish your laboratory in Israel. We are willing to provide you with funds for your work there.'
"As a result, I set up a laboratory in Beersheva, which has enjoyed worldwide recognition for its magneto-hydrodynamics research. My contract with the Navy has been renewed six times. I couldn't have imagined how far-reaching the Rebbe's advice would be. This year marks 20 years since the Stanford convention. My project has been awarded a 15-million dollar grant by the U.S. government for further research and development of this energy technology."

Professor Branover frequently briefs the Rebbe on his various research projects. In one report, he presented a very sophisticated study built upon extensive calculations that had been prepared by computer. As he reviewed the details, the Rebbe remarked:
"Two numbers here are inconsistent."

Professor Branover was stunned. "But all the calculations were done by computer and the program used is based on the most advanced theory we have."

The Rebbe smiled. "With all due respect to the experts, you will see that there is an error."

It took Professor Branover's research team six months to discover that some of the data entered in the computer's database was faulty.
"In the spring of 1985, I received word that the Rebbe requested to speak to me," relates Professor Branover. "I arrived at 770 as soon as I could. The Rebbe greeted me and informed me of his desire that I relay the message to various persons in Russia.

"The Rebbe unraveled the precise details of the unbelievable change that was going to take place in Russia. With Mikhail Gorbachev's ascent to power, a new era of openness and freedom would begin, the Rebbe prophesied. And waves of Russian Jews would emigrate to Israel.

"If I had heard these words from anyone but the Rebbe, I would have dismissed them as fantasy. As such, I was neither surprised nor offended when the various people in Russia whom I contacted were skeptical. 'Are you sure this is exactly what the Rebbe said?' they asked. And, may I add, these were people who were directing all the Lubavitch underground activities in Russia.

"It was simply that the Rebbe's prediction seemed so far-fetched. In the spring of 1985, newspapers had published front-page articles predicting that Gorbachev's government would follow a Communist hard-line. This was felt even more powerfully by people who were living in the then Soviet Union.

"When I related the response from Russia to the Rebbe, he requested that I contact them once again, assuring them that these changes would indeed take place. The realization of the Rebbe's words is now history.

“In 1992, when Mikhail Gorbachev visited Israel, we were introduced and I told him what the Rebbe had said seven years earlier.

“Gorbachev was stunned. 'When I assumed power in 1987,' he told me, 'I myself did not have the slightest idea which direction this would take. I had no concrete plan. I would like to meet this man who knew so much about the direction I and my country would follow.'"

A Profound Letter To a Sociologist

2010-08-20T09:18:00.006-04:00

For many a ba’al teshuvah, the road to a consuming life of Torah observance is paved with difficulty, and questions and doubts inevitably arise. The Avner Institute would like to present a heartfelt letter of the Rebbe, encouraging a young sociologist to view the sacrifices as challenges that ultimately strengthen commitment. With special thanks to the Nissan Mindel Archives.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a newly released photo of the Rebbe entering the upstairs corridor for minchah the afternoon prayer, in the late 1960s. With special thanks to Mendy Hayward.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

5732

Dr. Montreal, Que.

Greeting and Blessing:

I duly received your letter and thank you very much for sharing with me your good impressions and experience at Kfar Chabad, and subsequently at Hadar HaTorah.

I imagine that it will not surprise you if I take strong issue with the idea expressed further in your letter, to the effect that you do not think that you are able to live the full life that you saw and experienced at Kfar Chabad and Hadar HaTorah. Indeed, it amazes me that you should have come to such a conclusion. No doubt you are imagining that the difficulties involved in a total commitment to Yiddishkeit are more than you can cope with, especially since it will be necessary to give up certain things in life which would not be in harmony with such a commitment.

However, it is surely unnecessary to emphasize to a person of your background that if anyone wishes to attain any worthwhile objective, the road is not an easy one, and one must be prepared to make certain sacrifices. As a matter of fact, the more ambitious and worthy the objective, the greater must be the effort and sacrifice, which in themselves are criteria as to how important the objective is.

Furthermore, since you write that you have a doctorate in sociology, you surely have had occasion to observe various groups of people and individuals, and know that a person does not value highly things which he obtains easily and without sacrifice; and that it is only through facing up to a challenge and overcoming difficulties that the best qualities and capacities of a person are brought to the fore. To be sure, a person may experience a sense of satisfaction at obtaining something very easily, but this feeling cannot be lasting, for real satisfaction comes only from hard-earned accomplishments, particularly when the challenge comes not from outside, but from a personal inner impulse, etc.

Looking back into Jewish history, you have surely noted that the Jewish people became worthy of receiving the Torah only after going through the crucible of Egyptian bondage, after they had proved themselves able to retain their identity and not be assimilated in a culture which in those days was regarded as the highest and most advanced. And so it is in the personal experience of an individual; one can attain a life of Torah not by giving of himself on a particular day or days of the year such as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, when a Jew readily makes sacrifices to live as a Jew, but by making the necessary sacrifices every day of the year.

This is also the meaning of the text of our daily prayer, referring to the Torah and the mitzvoth: “For they are our life and the length of our days.” A person must live continually, and cannot interrupt his living, deciding to live on certain days of the year and not on others. So it is in the case of Yiddishkeit. A Jew cannot decide to be alive on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and take a leave of absence during other days.

Now that we are coming out of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, I trust that there is no need for me to elaborate further on the above, all the more so as I think that the above lines—and especially what is in between the lines—should provide enough food for thought in order to make the proper inferences and conclusions. May G-d grant you hatzlachah in that fulfillment.

Also enclosed is a copy of a timely and pertinent message.
Wishing you a joyous and inspiring Yom Tov,

With blessing,

[Sign.]

"I am not Asking you For a Check"

2010-08-08T12:19:00.007-04:00

Dear Readers.

With thanks to Hashem we would like to announce the birth of our twin baby Boys,May they be a true source of 'Nachas' to us all, and may we continue to only share blessings and happy occasions with one another.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a First–Time Released Photo of the Rebbe, as well as a Transcript of a meeting that the The Young Leadership Cabinet of the UJA federation had with the Rebbe about the importance of giving children a proper Jewish Education. with special thanks to Mendy Hayward.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

From a transcript published by the Young Leadership Cabinet after their meeting with the Rebbe:

"There is a special goal which takes priority over all others and that is education. By educating people you are preparing the young leadership of tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Education is not a question of making someone who is not so learned, more learned, someone who is not fluent, more fluent, someone who is not charitable to become charitable or more charitable. Education now is a question of saving a soul, saving a human being for the Jewish people. And saving him even for humanity.

Taking into account that a child is someone whose need for education must be met at the first opportunity possible-money can be borrowed now and paid tomorrow or a year from tomorrow. Even if you have no money already in cash or in pledges it is the first priority and the first duty and the first obligation of every Jew who can do something in this realm to invest it in education.

I am not asking you for a check,what I am asking is that every one of you, before asking someone for a check tomorrow, to become more Jewish than today by adding at least one mitzvah in your personal life, in your private life and in the life of your family. And, in addition, and I know this from my personal experience, I am now seventy years old and nevertheless I hope that tomorrow morning, I will be a better Jew than today. Performing a mitzvah in your private life as a private person-has an immediate impact on your communal activities"

"The Rebbe is always Tired"

2010-08-08T12:17:00.004-04:00

“Rebbetzin Chana,” obm, mother of the of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was a heroine in her own right. A staunch helpmate to her exiled husband during the Stalinist regime, she was reunited years later, in postwar Paris, with her son, and was successfully brought to the U.S. She settled in Crown Heights, where she lovingly supported her son’s activities, and where the Rebbe tended to her faithfully until her death. The Avner Institute would like to present a charming encounter told by Mrs. Slonim from Jerusalem who merited to meet with the Rebbe’s mother on several occasions.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a beautiful photo of the Rebbe, With special thanks to Rabbi Mendy Hayward.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Mrs. Slonim relates:

"In 1960, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Rebbe’s leadership, I traveled to New York. Upon my arrival Rabbi Hodakov, the Rebbe's secretary, asked me to address the annual Chabad Women's (N’shei Chabad) convention, which coincided with my visit.

Entering the convention hall, I immediately noticed Rebbetzin Chana, the Rebbe's revered mother, motioning with her hand that I should approach her. The Rebbetzin, who knew me from previous visits, looked at me after I had reached her, and confronted me. “You've been here for a while, and you still haven't called to say hello? Please get in touch with me, so we can make a date to meet.” A date was decided upon: Wednesday, at four o’clock my husband and I were to visit the Rebbetzin at her home.

Arriving at her Brooklyn apartment, we were greeted by the Rebbetzin’s legendary graciousness, as she had us sit down, trying to ensure that we would be at ease. Despite her courteous efforts, we nevertheless felt uncomfortable, aware that the Rebbe could walk in anytime while we were there. Discerning the cause of our discomfort, she assured us that the Rebbe, informed of the expected guests, had already visited and would not return during their visit.
As we began to relax, she told us several fascinating episodes from the Rebbe's childhood. I remember one of the incredible stories:

Once, when the Rebbe was a small child, people came to his mother’s home to partake in seudah shlishit, the third meal of Shabbos, after which the Shabbos is over. When the participants, wondering if Shabbos had not yet ended, inquired about the time, the Rebbe had simply looked, through the window, at the stars and told them the exact time.

This is just one of the stories the Rebbetzin shared with us. She also confided in us her worries over her son’s health, since the Rebbe was always so tired and busy.

A Moving Visit to The Jewish Community in Jamaica.

2010-07-16T10:55:00.006-04:00

The Caribbean, once a refuge and vibrant center for Jewish life, became, literally, a Jewish graveyard in the end. How did the Rebbe predict what would come? The Avner Institute would like to present a fascinating yechidus with Mr. Marcus Retter in the fall of 1957, after a visit that he made to Jamaica, where he expressed to the Rebbe his dream to recreate the island’s Jewish community. Sadly, the Rebbe would prove him wrong. With special thanks to Chabad of Riverdale.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe, with special thanks to Rabbi Moshe Goldstein.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Mr. Retter relates:

"I was privileged to meet privately with the Rebbe in 1957 and in 1963, at a time when yechidut (private audiences) were rarely granted. The first time, I spent almost two hours with the Rebbe, on the second visit almost an hour.

In the fall of 1957, my appointment was scheduled for ten o'clock in the evening, but it was after 11 p.m. when I was actually admitted. Outside, there were at least a dozen people waiting who had expected my visit with the Rebbe to last no more than ten minutes. But it was not so. In fact, during my stay, the Rebbe received several reminders on the intercom from his secretaries that the "visitor" had overstayed his allotted time, and that people were waiting. The Rebbe responded by saying, "I know, I know, it won't take much longer."

After receiving my note and giving over his blessings for "spiritual and physical health" and success, the Rebbe, who had insisted that I sit down (I always stood when received by Rebbes elsewhere), turned his rich blue eyes towards me, exuding warmth and kindness, the likes of which I had never experienced. The Rebbe then asked whether I would prefer to speak to him in English or in “Mamme loshen (Yiddish).” He smiled when I responded in the latter language.

I felt at ease addressing the Rebbe and said that I had not come with a private request, but rather the need to communicate to him a matter in which he might be interested. He immediately corrected me by saying, "Not communicate, but share information."

After such an encouraging start, I reported to the Rebbe that I had just returned from an important visit to Jamaica, then a British colony in the West Indies, where I had stayed for four weeks and where I had met with several Jewish families, mostly assimilated Sephardim, as well as the rabbi of the Kingston Jewish community. I told the Rebbe that there were 400 Jewish families on the island and a synagogue in Kingston. But, the rabbi, although an Ashkenazi from England, paid no attention to the British Chief Rabbinate, claiming that it had no jurisdiction over a Sephardic community in the Commonwealth, despite its nominal affiliation with the Council of the United Hebrew Congregations of the slowly disintegrating British Empire. I further reported to the Rebbe that there were 30 or 40 Jewish children whose religious education was less than minimal.

The climax of this sad situation was what I saw in the Jewish section of the cemetery in Spanishtown, the former capital of Jamaica and the former center of Jewish life and communal activity. I showed the Rebbe several inscriptions of 300-year-old gravestones which were evidence that there had been vibrant Jewish life in Jamaica. The names Sosa, Setton, and Shalom appeared on a number with the description of the deceased as "Zakein V'Yoshev B'Yeshiva" (elderly and one who studied in depth), manhig (leader) and gaon (great scholar) of the community. The Rebbe knew of all of these Sephardic gaonim who lived in Jamaica centuries ago, and he told me how they had come there.

I told the Rebbe that a community with such a religious background and great history was about to disappear in complete assimilation, and that maybe something could be done. The rabbi in Jamaica had instructed his flock that kashrut was no longer operative because the laws of hygiene rendered it superfluous and that a blood-soaked beefsteak was healthy and nourishing. I had heard all of these statements from the rabbi's own mouth. Of course, there was no mohel in Jamaica, but the Jewish families (most of whom were wealthy) imported one from Panama every so often to perform several brissim on the same day.

The Rebbe told me that he was aware of all these facts, and that he knew the names of the leading Jewish families in Jamaica, but that Jamaica was not a fertile ground and could not be cultivated. Nevertheless, within one month, the Rebbe sent two emissaries there and had kosher meat imported from Miami and a mohel in Panama be available at all times. These emissaries brought over five boys to the United States to study in the Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Brooklyn.

During the course of my meeting, I was amazed to learn that the Rebbe had full knowledge of the political and economic conditions in Jamaica. The Rebbe knew all about the internal struggle between Sir Alexander Bustamente and his cousin and political rival Victor Manley. The Rebbe predicted that within a decade or so Jamaica would become an independent republic, "for a while steeped in the law," but soon to adopt the socialist and leftist path that would wreak havoc with the economy. He said that gradually the Jewish population would emigrate to Israel and Latin America, some to England, and that only the tombstones would remain as a monument to the Jewish community that disappeared because there was no influx of vital Judaism from Europe. The Rebbe was right.

Towards the end of the meeting, the Rebbe asked where I had been during the war, and he was particularly interested in hearing about the late Lord Wedgewood, for whom I had worked in the History of Parliament Committee. The Rebbe had firsthand in formation on every minute detail of the Jewish communities in England and predicted that Orthodox Jewish life would flourish there.

In 1963, six years later, when once again I was privileged to be received by the Rebbe, the Rebbe recalled all the details we had "shared," to use his language, in the course of our first meeting. At the time I asked for some personal advice, which the Rebbe gave me. I did exactly as the Rebbe told me. I never regretted it. To this very day, I practice what the Rebbe told me to do.

Rabbi Yosef Weinberg's Visit to Chicago & a New Photo.

2010-07-09T10:00:00.009-04:00

What is a Jewish soul? Can it ever be tainted? The Avner Institute would like to present an insightful conversation that took place when Rabbi Yosef Weinberg, a famed Chabad Chassid who was sent by the Rebbe and the Previous Rebbe on various missions throughout the world, came to Chicago, on orders of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, to pay a visit to a Jew of Chabad lineage.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a first-time released photo of the Rebbe at a children’s rally on Rosh Chodesh Av, 5742/1982. The children pictured are Chesky Holtzberg, who is standing in front of his brother Yudah. Special thanks to Chesky Holtzberg for sending the picture.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Weinberg relates:

"Before he had left New York, the Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneerson O.B.M., asked Rabbi Levitin to pay a personal visit to a Mr. Listner, a wealthy Jewish businessman in Chicago and a descendant of a prestigious Chassidic family. “ Send him my warm regards and blessings.” The Rebbe said

At the train station in Chicago, Rabbi Yosef Wineberg, then a young man, was waiting to greet Rabbi Levitin. As he stepped off of the train, one of the first questions Rabbi Levitin asked of Rabbi Wineberg was, “ Do you know Charles Listner?”

“Most definitely,” responded Wineberg.

“ Where can I meet up with him – which synagogue does he attend?” asked Rabbi Levitin.

Rabbi Wineberg, never to be at loss for words, responded with a smile, “ I can tell you which Synagogue he should attend, but I don’t think that’s the place you’ll find him. ”

A day or so later, Rabbi Levitin and Mr. Listner met in the businessman’s office. The welcome was very warm, and Listner was especially touched and inspired by the personal regards from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

The conversation flowed easily, and at the end of the visit, Listner reached for his checkbook and asked, “ To which organization shall I address my contribution?”

“No one,” said Rabbi Levitin. “ Put away the checkbook because I did not come for a donation. Even if you will give me, I will not take.”

“ But why else would an elderly Rabbi come all the way from New York? Just to enjoy a cold drink in my office?” responded the surprised Listner.

“Let me explain it like this.” Rabbi Levitin began.

In the Old Country, there were many small Jewish communities spread all over the countryside. Each community had their own Synagogue, Torah scrolls, and other religious articles.

All Torah scrolls, Mezuzahs, and Tefillin are hand written with ink on parchment by a scribe and periodically checked for flaws – which then need to be fixed by the qualified scribe.

The smaller communities in Europe couldn’t generate enough work to support a permanent scribe, so it became common to see traveling, or wandering scribes who fixed, and rewrote erased letters and patched up these holy works.

“ Every Jew, Mr. Listner,” Rabbi Levitin continued, “ is a living Torah Scroll.”

There are sometimes when some “letters” of our Judaism get a little bit “rubbed off”, and we lose touch with some Mitzvot. I guess you can consider me one of the traveling scribes. My goal is to provide a little spiritual ink, a dab of inspiration and a brush of warmth to our intimate connection with G-d.”

Listner was deeply moved by this parable and Rabbi Levitin returned to New York. There he shared what he had said with the Rebbe, expecting positive acknowledgment for his innovative example. But to his surprise the Rebbe was silent.

Worried, he asked, “ Did I say something incorrect? Doesn’t the Talmud compare a Jew to a Sefer Torah?”

“Yeh,” responded the Rebbe warmly in Yiddish. “ But there is one big difference.”
The Torah is written with ink on parchment, two separate entities combined into one. The ink could be erased or rubbed off. But the Jew? The Jew is like a Torah Scroll but with engraved letters. The Torah is engraved in his heart, and on his soul. When letters are engraved, as were the Ten Commandments on the two Tablets, it is impossible for them to be rubbed off or separated in any way.

“At times a little dust can accumulate and cover the letters. ” Here the Rebbe picked up on the parable and concluded, “ Then, the job of the “wandering scribe” is to help brush off some dust. Instantly the letters will shine.”

As I sat at the conference and listened to this account, I found a new meaning for the term “engraving.”

Each and every one of us is a “scribe” with the ability to refresh dusty souls, but perhaps before we search for someone else’s dust, let’s begin with our own.