A moving Diary About the Rebbe - Summer 1950

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?

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,

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Rebbe, Is Making Aliyah a Must?

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,

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David Ben Gurion and the Rebbe & New Photo 1944

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?

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

Unique Shavuos Diary & Photos - Marking 30 Years

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

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?

“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

“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”

"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

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,

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

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

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

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

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