A Unique Photo & A Moving Encounter with The Previous Rebbe.

In honor of Yud Beis Tammuz, the day marking the liberation of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, obm, from Soviet imprisonment, the Avner Institute would like to present an extraordinary encounter with a Rabbi Rabinowitz, formerly of the Jewish Center of Highbridge, who describes meeting the Previous Rebbe under somewhat unusual circumstances. Special thanks to Rabbi Michoel Vishetzky for sharing with us this encounter.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a beautiful photo of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, with special thanks to Rabbi Levin and Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Vishetzky relates:

I went to visit a Rabbi Rabinowitz at his synagogue in the Bronx, New York. To my surprise, the elderly rabbi was sitting at a corner of the table rather than the head.

"No one sits in that place," he explained. Noticing my reaction, he began the following story.

"When I came to America, I was privileged to meet with the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe. I told him everything that had happened to me in Europe and asked him what I should do with my life. The Rebbe said, 'Since you are a Torah scholar, you should look for a position as a community rabbi.'

"Soon after that, I was recommended for a position in this shul [synagogue], here in the Bronx. When I asked the Rebbe if I should accept it, the Rebbe answered, 'A shul is a shul, and so it's very suitable. But I don't like the caretaker of that shul.’

"Why did the Rebbe mention the caretaker. I wondered. The Rebbe saw that I was confused and repeated, 'A shul is a shul, but I don't like the caretaker. '

"Time passed. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I found out that the caretaker was not pleased with me. After the passing of the shul's previous rabbi the caretaker had assumed many responsibilities and had become the unofficial rabbi. He felt that I had pushed him aside and he began to cause trouble for me.

“Eventually the situation became unbearable. I went to see the present Rebbe, who had assumed the leadership after the passing of the Previous Rebbe on 10 Shevat, 1950. Before I even had a chance to open my mouth, the Rebbe said, 'My father-in-law said that a shul is a shul and he did not like the caretaker. Continue to serve as rabbi in the Bronx. As for the antics of this caretaker, he will soon need to worry about how long he will keep his job.'

"I was amazed by the present Rebbe's words. When I had spoken with the Previous Rebbe, no one else had been in the room, and I had never discussed the matter with the present Rebbe.

"A few nights later I couldn't sleep. At daybreak I decided to go to shul a little earlier than usual. On my way, I was surprised to meet the president and manager also walking toward the shul.

“The manager pointed to a light in the shul windows. Suspiciously we opened the door and walked in. We found the caretaker holding the charity boxes and emptying the money into his pockets. Needless to say, we fired him.

"The next few years passed peacefully. Then something even more incredible happened.

“The shul shared an adjoining wall with a butcher's shop. When his business expanded, he found a much larger shop and sold the older one to the shul, which needed more space. After some friendly negotiations, a deal was struck. The whole transaction was conducted verbally, without a contract.

"A few years later the butcher began to look for a storeroom. When none was available, he remembered that there was no official contract with the shul. Without any scruples, he went to the shul management and asked them to give him his shop back. He hired a lawyer, positive that the court would decide in his favor as there had been no written sale.

"After a short court case, the shul board received a court order forcing them to vacate the premises by a certain date. As the date drew near, I went to the present Rebbe for a blessing.

"When I described the situation, the Rebbe said, 'My father-in-law told you clearly that a shul is a shul. Everything will turn out the way it should.'

"The night before the critical date, I had a dream which I will never forget. In the dream I went to the shul and I saw the Previous Rebbe sitting in the chair at the head of the table—the very same chair which I never let anyone sit in. Standing next to him was the present Rebbe, who said, 'Don't worry. G-d will let everything turn out for the best.' He then looked toward the Previous Rebbe. 'The Rebbe told you that a shul is a shul. What do you have to worry about?'

"I stood there in astonishment. The Previous Rebbe was right there, even though he had passed away ten years ago. I was still marveling at this sight when I woke up.

“I ran to shul as fast as I could. Outside, a crowd had gathered and people were arguing with the policemen who had blocked the entrance and started to remove the furniture. Then something dramatic happened.

"On a nearby street, in the butcher's large shop, a light fixture fell suddenly from the ceiling. The butcher was knocked unconscious. When he came to, his first words were, 'Please, stop emptying the shul.' When the police arrived, the butcher admitted that he had made false accusations against the shul and that he had, indeed, received payment for the old shop.

"Now you understand why I don't let anyone sit in that chair. The image of the Previous Rebbe sitting there will be in front of my eyes forever," Rabbi Rabinowitz said as he finished telling his story.

A Professor’s Moving Encounter with The Rebbe.

Some people had the honor of spending hours with the Rebbe in private audience. Yet thousands who merited a mere short moment felt transformed. The Rebbe sees everything, and those who found themselves at the receiving end of the Rebbe’s blessing or dollar changed not only their life but their entire perspective. The Avner Institute would like to present a wry and fascinating encounter Dr.Yaakov Brawer, Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill University Faculty of Medicine, shared with the Rebbe in the winter of 1990. With special thanks to the TAV Seminary of Montreal, Canada.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a beautiful photo of the Rebbe, with special thanks to Rabbi Levin and Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Dr. Brawer Relates:

"The biography of every Jewish man and woman among us could and should read like an anthology of Chasidic stories. I would like to share one of my own stories from my personal anthology of such tales.

For many years I have participated as a speaker in the mid-winter Shabbaton in Crown Heights.

Several years ago, however, I began to "burn out." It got to the point where I could barely stand the sound of my own voice. I could no longer answer the same questions over and over again. I had had it.

It was in this frame of mind that I arrived in Crown Heights in December of 1990 for what I perceived as my last speaking engagement.

Blended in with the ennui was a large measure of guilt.

The Rebbe had encouraged me in my speaking activities, and now I was afraid that I would be letting him down.

Chassidut has little patience for quitters.

There was, however, no help for it; I simply had no more talk left in me. I had spent hours casting about for some suitable activity that would serve as a replacement for public speaking, but thus far I had come up with nothing.

Predictably, the talk I delivered at the Shabbaton that Saturday evening was a disaster -- rambling, fragmented and uninspired. My swan song was most definitely off-key. In addition to the boredom and guilt I was now dejected.

On Sunday morning, the Rebbe received visitors. Anyone who wished could meet the Rebbe and obtain from him a blessing and a dollar to be given to charity.

The crowd of people hoping to see the Rebbe always numbered in the thousands, and the wait in line was long and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, I was a participant in the Shabbaton, and Shabbaton guests and participants were allowed through first.

Given the miserable performance of the preceding night and my planned retirement from the speaking circuit, I felt more than my usual apprehension at encountering the Rebbe.

Nonetheless, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning I set off for the Crown Hotel to join up with the Shabbaton party, which was scheduled to pass by the Rebbe at 11:30.

On the way I met a group of Shabbaton guests who wished me good morning and asked me about my horrible presentation of the night before.

The subject matter, they said, although interesting, was quite complicated and difficult to follow.

They wanted to know if I had published these ideas anywhere. When I told them I hadn't, they wanted to know why not.

I informed them that I am (was) really a speaker and that I express myself poorly in writing. They couldn't understand it. They knew that I had to write extensively and well in order to survive in the academic world. I explained that scientific writing is different from expository prose.

Indeed, my stilted writing conformed beautifully to the monotonous, dry, pedantic style that characterizes scientific journals. When we arrived at the hotel, another group of people approached to ask where they could find my writings. When I told them that there weren't any, they also wanted to know why not. I had to repeat my explanation once again.

I went up to the hotel lobby to await our departure for 770. Several yeshiva students who had been helping with the Shabbaton came over and wanted to know where they could find my "stuff." I told them there was no "stuff" in print.

"Why not?" they asked. By now, I was losing my patience. I explained to them, a little sharply, that I am not a writer, that I never was a writer, and that in fact, I cannot write.

"How can that be? You're a professor, aren't you?" they insisted.

I got up and walked outside. Finally, the Shabbaton group left for the Rebbe.

On the way, I happened to walk next to a couple who introduced themselves and wanted to know where I had written... I couldn't believe it. I smiled and pretended that I hadn't heard the question and walked on ahead.

When we arrived at 770, we skirted the throngs of people waiting and entered a door in the basement of the building. As our line crept forward, my heart began to pound and my mouth became dry.

An encounter with the Rebbe is, after all, no light matter.

An instant later I was before the Rebbe. Although a meeting with the Rebbe lasts only a few seconds, they are very long seconds.

During those precious moments the Rebbe is totally attentive to you. No one and nothing else exists. The Rebbe looked at me with unfathomable love, handed me a dollar and wished me "bracha v'hatzlacha" (blessing and success).

I had started to move on, when his secretary caught my sleeve.

I turned back to the Rebbe, who was holding out another dollar for me. As I took the dollar, the Rebbe, with a little smile and laughter in his eyes, said: "Hatzlacha in schreiben" (Success in writing).

I was stunned.

As we left the building, someone who had heard the Rebbe's words to me asked: "Yankel, are you a writer?"

"I am now," I answered.

Paris 1947 - New York 1990 - a Fascinating Encounter with The Rebbe

The Avner Institute would like to present a heartwarming encounter which took place with the Rebbe while he was living in Paris and which ended nearly 45 years later at “Sunday Dollars” in New York, 1990. This encounter was told by Rabbi Yosef Shmuel Meirowitz from Bnei Brak, who heard it directly from the involved individual.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a beautiful photo of the Rebbe, with special thanks to Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Yosef Shmuel Meirowitz relates:

"I was born in Paris 45 years ago, an only child, to parents who were already on in years. When I was still young we moved to Jerusalem. At a tender age I realized that there was some kind of secret concerning my birth, though my parents never spoke about it.

It was not until I was 24 years old, a short while before I was married, that my father approached me and told me this story:

“During the war, my parents fled Poland for Russia. They moved from place to place until they arrived in Tashkent. There were many refugees there, among them Chabad Chasidim. My father always spoke with great praise for the Chabadniks he met in Tashkent: their willingness to help others; the length and carefulness of their prayers—but most importantly, about their selfless devotion to ensuring Jewish education for children.

When the war ended, my father was already 50 and my mother was about 40. They had been married for over 20 years and childless. They left Russia for Paris where they found fellow refugees, among them a large group of Chabadniks, some of whom they knew from Tashkent.

One day, soon after their arrival in Paris, my father heard from one of his Chabad friends that an important visitor had come to the city--Rabbi Schneerson [the present Rebbe. Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson], the son-in-law of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He had come from New York to Paris to see his mother upon her arrival from Russia.

My father met with Rabbi Schneerson from time to time in the synagogue and discussed Torah matters with him. My father derived much pleasure from these talks.

When they first met, it was close to Passover. During their conversation, Rabbi Schneerson asked my father about his family. My father began to sob and said that he had no children. Rabbi Schneerson took my father's hand warmly and said, "With G-d's help, next year on Passover you will be able to fulfill the mitzva of 'And you shall tell it [the story of Passover] to your children.'"

I was born 10 months later. On the night of the Seder, I was two months old. With tremendous emotion my father fulfilled the mitzva of "And you shall tell it to your children."

I remember that the Seder night was always a very special and emotional time in my house. My father would carefully answer any question I had and explain everything with great patience and detail. It was only after my father revealed the facts surrounding my birth that I understood why the Seder was always so special.

A few years ago, my daughter married a yeshiva student from Lakewood, New Jersey. On Passover, two years ago, she was due to give birth. My wife, children, and I traveled to New Jersey to help and be with her for Passover.

On the first Shabbat there, I told my son-in-law that I wanted to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe. I asked if he knew when the Rebbe sees people and he told me that on Sunday the Rebbe "gives out dollars." Anyone could come at that time.

I arranged a ride into Brooklyn for that Sunday. When I got to Crown Heights, to the place Chabadniks call "770," I was shocked to see the length of the line. There were thousands of people. My son and I stood for about 5 hours. During those five hours, I managed to tell him--for the first time--the wondrous story surrounding my birth. He was very moved. Now he understood why I was so insistent on going to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

It was around 5:00. We arrived at the place near where the Rebbe gives out dollars and I could see the Rebbe's face. The dignity of the Rebbe's face had a tremendous impact on me. The Rebbe's energy, despite the fact that he had been standing for over five hours giving dollars to thousands of people, astounded me.

People passed by quickly. I hadn't prepared anything to say. I only wanted to see the Rebbe once. It would be my way of thanking him.

My turn came quickly. My son went before me. The Rebbe gave him a dollar and told him, "Blessing and success." Then he asked my son in Yiddish, "Did you prepare to ask the Four Questions?"

My son answered positively and the Rebbe gave him another dollar, saying with a smile, "This is for the Four Questions."

Then the Rebbe gave me a dollar and told me, "Blessing and success." He gave me another dollar and added, "This is for the explanation of the Four Questions." Suddenly, the Rebbe's look intensified and, with a very broad smile, he said, "And this is for the 'And you shall tell it to your children.'"

I don't remember what happened next. I only know that a moment later I found myself outside, overcome with emotion. I was told that I had stood there in front of the Rebbe motionless until someone had led me out.

Rebbe, How Can I Have a Peaceful Marriage?

“Rebbe, how do I maintain a peaceful home? What if we have disagreements over furniture?”

The following is an insightful reply of the Rebbe to a chossan [bridegroom] who, several weeks prior to his wedding, wrote with many fundamental questions as to proper conduct after marriage. With special thanks to Rabbi Simpson, a member of the Rebbe’s secretariat.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a beautiful photo of the Rebbe delivering an address to the lay leaders of Chabad together with their shluchim (emissaries). During this event, begun in the 1980s by Machane Israel, lay leaders were given the merit to meet with the Rebbe privately to discuss Chabad activities in their cities, as well as personal matters.

This e-mail is dedicated in honor of the wedding of my dear brother Shneur Zalman Kirschenbaum to Sara Leah Krinsky; may they build a Binyan Adei Ad.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

By the Grace of G-d

Purim-Koton 5719

Brooklyn, NY
Sholom uBrocho:

I duly received your letter, and this is in reply to your questions:

A) Whether you should insist on having the chuppa “outside.”:

No doubt you mean having the chuppa under the sky, which is the important thing, and this can often be done inside, since many halls have a retractable, or removable roof, so that the chuppa can indeed be under the sky.

I trust you will not have to “insist” very much, but that this will be readily acceptable, for having the chuppa under the sky is something which is connected with mazel. Inasmuch as the question concerns marriage, which makes the foundation for the everlasting edifice (binyan adei-ad) for a happy home, surely everything should be done to fulfill all the aspects which are connected with mazel at the time of the chuppa, and this is one of them, as is stated in many holy books.

B) On the matter of disagreement regarding furniture:

Generally speaking, in matters connected with the house furniture and furnishing and the like, the matter which our Sages call the “mundane” aspects, one should consider the wishes of the future housewife. At the same time, it is clearly a matter of good sense not to get involved in debts which may be difficult to meet afterwards, all the more so as you have to undertake mortgage obligations, etc., as you write.

C) With regard to conduct becoming a yeshiva bochur:

The thing to keep in mind is that your conduct is bound to have an immediately influence on the conduct of your entire home, especially that of your wife, the akeres habayis.The father and husband sets the tone for the others to follow. In practice, when one tries to emulate someone else, even with the utmost effort, it rarely comes up to the full one hundred percent. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct oneself, that after making allowances the copy not fall too short of the original, so that at least the minimum requirements of the Shulchan Aruch (even without hiddurim) would be fulfilled.
This should be your guiding principle, also, and even more so, since in your meeting with other people, especially in your teaching position, and general standing in the congregation and community.

Referring specifically to the question of going to certain places of amusement, in view of the fact (in addition to the above considerations) that you have told your fiancée that you will discontinue this, you should bear in mind that if you do not practice as you preach, it will not only display a weakness on your part in matters of yiras shomayim,but your fiancée will consider it a precedent to further concessions and liberties in this direction.

D) You ask my advice as to how to ensure mutual peace and harmony in married life:

As you know, the Torah is the key to it, as it is written, “Its ways are ways of pleasantness and its paths are peace.” In matters of Torah pleasantness should be coupled with firmness, especially in such fundamental aspects of marriage as taharas hamishpacha,and all other things of Torah and mitzvoth, which the Torah requires with the utmost stringency. Yet, it is this very stringent observance that ensures the pleasantness and peace of married life, while capitulation or concession, even “temporarily” in these matters “in the interests of peace,” can only have lasting contrary effects.

Nowadays, environment and the people one mixes with have a considerable effect on one’s personal conduct and the conduct of the home. Therefore, one should always seek the company and environment of only such real friends as have a beneficial and encouraging influence in all matters of Torah and mitzvoth, and introduce your fiancée into a similar environment.

With blessing,

A Memorable Visit to The Rebbe and Rebbetzin.

The Avner Institute would like to present excerpts of a diary recorded over Shavuos 1980 by the famed Chossid Zalman Jaffe. Mr. Jaffe, a businessman from Manchester, England, had struck up an acquaintance with the Rebbe which developed into a unique friendship lasting over 30 years. Every Shavuos Mr. Jaffe, together with his wife Roslyn, traveled to Crown Heights, where they were privileged to enjoy special, private moments with the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin. Under the Rebbe’s directive, Mr. Jaffe carefully described his experiences – yechidus, farbrengens, everyday life in Crown Heights – which were later published.

Filled with vivid details and British wit, My Encounters with the Rebbe -- eventually comprising 50 volumes -- became a popular fixture for Lubavitcher readers. They are currently being reprinted by Mr. Jaffe’s grandson, Rabbi Pinchas Lew. To learn more about Mr. Jaffe’s memoirs visit: www.myencounter.com

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe in 1984, on his way to the Ohel.

Good Shabbos.
Menachem

Our Visit to the Rebbetzin:

In his diary, Mr. Zalman Jaffe, a”h, remembers a profound Visit that he had with Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, Followed by a private audience with the Rebbe that took place shortly after Shavuos 5740 (1980):

"Once again, it was our great privilege and joy to be received by our gracious Rebbetzen at her home. Roselyn and I were accompanied by Susan and Avrohom and their children. The Rebbetzen looked very lovely. As Leah remarked, she was surprised to see that our Rebbetzen looked so young, and she added "She looked majestic and yet elegant". I asked Leah what was her definition of "Elegant". Leah answered "She holds her cup so posh!!"

I then called upon Leah to give the first turn in our afternoon concert program. Leah arose to sing "Min Hamotzer" (but she waited until the Rebbetzin's attendant had left the room. Such Modesty! The Rebbetzen rather liked that.

Next was Levi. He extracted a Chumash from his pocket - he had brought it especially for the occasion. I sat back to listen to a d'var Torah and Levi did not let me down, except that he sang the words of torah. His Bar-Mitzvah was in about six months time, so he was layenning his sedra. He continued until "Shainee", which is the first official stop, when the sedra is read on the Shabbos. I was a little apprehensive, I thought he was going to layen the whole sedra!

The Rebbetzen exclaimed that it was marvelous "umberuffen" - and she had a good laugh. She never expected to hear the layenning at her own home, on this weekday.

Chanah sang very nicely indeed. Shmuel was too embarrassed to do anything, whilst Golda, very shyly, just sat - and looked pretty. The Rebetzen remarked that Golda had a lovely wonderful personality. Since Golda did not sing, nor even speak, the Rebbetzen was obviously a prophetess. Golda did, however roll her eyes and smile a little hesitatingly.

Aaron sang the Rebbe's Nigun and gave a good exhibition of his prowess.

We had a large pile of photographs which had been taken at the Manchester Lag B'Omer Parade and Outing. The Rebbetzen went through them all and to our immense satisfaction she chose a few of them, to keep for herself and to show to the Rebbe.

We also mentioned to the Rebbetzen that Shmuel (Lew) who had also been here for Yom Tov, had already returned home that very day. The Rebbetzen confirmed that the Rebbe had told her of this fact.

As Roselyn and I were leaving, always the perfect hostess and lady, the Rebbetzen accompanied us to the door and bade us farewell.

Our Yechidus With the Rebbe:

Roselyn and I entred the Rebbe's study at 10.45 p.m. in the evening, which was quite early for us. The Rebbe welcomed us with a marvelous smile and greeted us with Sholom Aleichem.

The Rebbe had seen Avrohom, Susan and family a few days previously at Yechidus. He told us that "You have sheiner kinder" (beautiful children) physically - and presumably mentally.

We discussed my diary, “My Encounter with the Rebbe”. Roselyn had suggested that since this year was a year of Shemita, I should take a Sabbatical and refrain altogether from writing it this year. Roselyn maintained that there is nothing new about which to write. It is always the same - the subjects do not vary - farbrengen; Koss shel Brocha; Singing Hoaderress at the Rebbe's minyan; and various other matters which I have described minutely and written about most comprehensively over the past eleven years.

The Rebbe gave me an example of a mathematical improbability. A certain Maharaja, an Indian Prince and Ruler, paid a man so much money a day to write his biography. It took this fellow two days to write the events of one day. At the end of the 365 days, the scribe had written only what had happened during the first six months of the year. Therefore he could never catch up with the events.

I supposed the Rebbe meant that the author had plenty about which to write, but he was dilator in getting it down onto the paper. The Rebbe's excellent advice was that I should write my diary every day, and in that way I could complete hundreds of pages. The Rebbe continued that there were plenty of Lubavitch topics, not only in Brooklyn, but even in Manchester. I could write about England.

I suggested to the Rebbe that he should and could provide me with sufficient material to write a book every year until his 121st birthday. The Rebbe interjected and commended, "Do you want me to work until I am 120?"

I replied that Moishe (Moses) commenced his work for the Jewish people of the age of eighty and carried right on until he attained the age of the complete 120 years. I explained to the Rebbe that he was only undergoing his apprenticeship for his main work which would only start at his eightieth birthday.

The Rebbe declared that he was preparing for this!

I informed the Rebbe that my "Encounters" had cost me about £3 a copy to produce. The Rebbe was rather taken aback. The Rebbe intimated that he did' not want to force me to write. It must come from myself, from within. I assured the Rebbe that I would do my best, but what started out as a small personal diary for the Rebbe, the Rebbetzen, my family and a few friends had now become a large annual publication which was being read by people all over the world.

The Rebbe implied that I led the mincha service at the children's rally very well. I confided that I had received definite instructions to daven "quick, loud and clear".

The Rebbe enquired "Why Quick?"

I replied that "I was told to do so because the Rebbe davens quickly."

The Rebbe commented that I had a wonderful zechus. Where and when would I have such an opportunity to be the chazan for so many people, especially young children. I confessed that this was the largest crowd, ever - in my whole life - for which I had acted as reader - and the best too - about 5,000, including 3,500 children.

Finally, I asked the Rebbe whether I should come again for Simchas Torah. The Rebbe said that it was a good, idea, but obtain the consent of Mrs Jaffe and come together. We asked for a blessing for health and parnoso. The Rebbe gave us a wonderful brocha and for "Parnoso Beharchovo! (with broadness) and we took our leave. The Rebbe said "Thank you very much indeed for coming to see me". Is that not amazing? And is there not a lesson here for everyone - humbleness - modesty - greatness and consideration!

We had 'been with the Rebbe for forty-five minutes.

Shaking a Woman's Hand?

What can be wrong with a simple handshake? Especially when it is a widespread custom? The Avner Institute would like to present a letter of the Rebbe written in 1976 to a woman who asked why observant Jews refrain from any physical display of greeting to certain non-family members. With special thanks to the Nissan Mendel Archive.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a unique Photo that was taken in the winter of 1973 during the visit of President of Israel Zalman Shazar, who shared warm relations with the Rebbe. With special thanks to Rabbi Levin and Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem



Mrs. __________________

Brookline, MA 02146


Blessing and Greeting:

I duly received your letter of ___________ and will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart’s desires for good. May G-d grant that just as you wrote the letter, so you should be able to write good news on the subject matter.

With blessing,

P.S. With reference to the point you mention in your letter about some people displaying definite reservations which are required in accordance with our Torah, Toras Chaim, as for instance the matter of a friendly hug and kiss that you mention, it is surely superfluous to explain to you at length that the teachings of our Torah have been given not for G-d’s benefit, but for the benefit of the person observing them. It is needless to add that when it concerns a married person, especially one whom the Torah calls Akeres Habayis, the said benefit is also for each and every one of the members of the family. Hence, of what significance in such a case can there be when someone, out of ignorance, claims that such practices, though G-d given, should not be followed because of the external impressions that they might create, etc.

In connection with the above, I would like to cite an illustration, which actually occurred recently.

Several weeks ago a delegation of Dutch Jews were officially received by the Queen of Denmark. They wished to express the Jewish gratitude to her for the help given by the royal family and people of Denmark. During the official reception, when everyone stood in line to shake hands with the Queen as customary, and it came up to the turn of the Rabbi and his wife who were with that delegation, the Queen extended her hand. The Rabbi’s wife shook hands with the Queen, but the Rabbi explained his reservation on religious grounds, which the Queen graciously accepted. There was no embarrassment, although other men before and after the Rabbi shook hands with the Queen. On the contrary, it produced admiration for the Rabbi’s convictions and principles.

I mention these details, so that you can also mention them whenever you find that the occasion calls for a better understanding of such matters.

Vintage footage of the 1967 and 1970 Lag B’omer Parades with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Lag B’Omer is a special day, marking the passing of famed Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Jews all over the world celebrate with music and bonfires, and thousands flock to his gravesite in Meron. In years Lag B’Omer fell on Sunday, a special parade would be held in front of Chabad headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway, where thousands of children would gather and hear a special talk delivered to them by the Rebbe.

This year, as Lag B’Omer approaches, the Avner Institute is proud to present vintage film clips of two parades that took place 5727/May 28, 1967 and 5730/May 24, 1970. It is interesting to note that the first parade took place just weeks before the Six Day War; the Rebbe gave a memorable talk in which he offered words of comfort to the Jewsh people.

We would like to thank a dear reader Rabbi Yosef Goldwasser for giving us this rare footage to share with the public. With special thanks to Rabbi Shimmy Weinbaum and Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos,
Menachem

Israel’s Wars – a Moving Yechidus With the Rebbe

The Avner Instute would like to present a fascinating interview with the Rebbe by Shmuel Avidor, a longtime devotee, conducted shortly after the Six Day War. Shmuel Avidor began an early career as a writer, working for his father’s newspaper, Nerot Shabbat, and continuing as a journalist for Yediot Aharonot. Desiring fuller self-expression, he eventually founded his own newspaper together with his brother, Ayin B’ayin, which later became Panim el Panim. He is the author of two books -- biographies on Rabbi A. Y. Kook, leader of the Religious Zionist movement; and Rabbi Herzog, Israel’s second Chief Rabbi.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present part two of Lag B’Omer parades with the Rebbe from over the years. With special thanks to Rabbi Shimmy Weinbaum and Yechi Ezagiu.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

In his diary, Shmuel Avidor, remembers a profound private audience with the Rebbe that took place Shortly after the Six-Day War:

“What should I write in the newspapers about the spiritual arousals, an outcome of the Six Day War, which many Jews are experiencing?”

The Rebbe answered, “You should stress the importance of laying tefillin every day and keeping Family Purity. The latter is very difficult to maintain; but now that people are searching for ways to fill a spiritual void, the opportunity to emphasize it is feasible. We must work very hard to persuade Jews to go to shul on Shabbos. If they feel that Shabbos is the only impetus to go, and, in keeping with their observance, they must attend, then that will have no subsequent effect on their religious observance outside of shul.

“Everyone feels there is a difference between Shabbos and the rest of the week; even those who, instead of going to shul go to the beach, act differently -- taking along special food simply because they sense a festive atmosphere (a little yom tovdik!). Nevertheless, they will persist in going to the beach, not allowing Shabbos to have its incredible effect on them, despite their awareness of its sanctity. The same holds true regarding those who, while obviously more involved, attend shul on Shabbos. Appearing there, without conviction, merely because that is what tradition expects, will not have much influence.

“However, by beginning to appreciate the value of the service, people who step into shul, even without praying, will experience a practical effect on their Judaism and an enhancement of ties connecting them to the Jewish people. When coming to shul with the proper appreciation, even though initially without active participation, their attitude will change entirely: first they will desire to offer a small prayer or recite a chapter of Psalms and eventually they will take part in the prayers with everyone else. Additionally, while in shul, they will from time to time hear an inspiring talk, motivating them to make essential changes in their lives.

“This desired influence on life away from shul applies to everything. The significance of the morning prayers, for example, lies not only in the fact that through prayer a Jew connects to holiness and to G-d, but also that upon conclusion his prayers maintain a constant and decisive impact on his entire day. Similarly, the increase in observance, inspired by the Six Day War, must be in a profound and lasting manner, lasting for many years.”

The Rebbe added, “I recently had a discussion with a Rosh Yeshiva regarding which aspects of Judaism should be encouraged in the aftermath of the war. He told me that people should set aside additional time during the day to study the Torah. I disagreed with him, because, although his idea is definitely noble and worthy of adoption, it is imperative that new steps be taken directly ensuing from the unprecedented inspiration that arose from the Six Day War. His suggestion, on the other hand, is based on a normal way of raising religious observance, but a way not proportionate to the current circumstances. Again, what must occur is a much deeper and essential change.”

I then asked, “What is the Rebbe’s opinion concerning the recent decision of the Israeli government to compartmentalize Jerusalem’s Old City, allowing the Jews to settle only in the Jewish Quarter?”

“I cannot understand why the government is preventing Jews from settling in the Old City,” the Rebbe answered, with a trace of annoyance. “The government committed a very big blunder, when, having the chance, they failed to send away all Arabs from there, ostensibly to placate the Arabs and minimize criticism. Now, although they have left all of the Arabs in those areas, the Arabs are already speaking badly about the Jews. Some time soon, there will be [further] elections, and, because Israel is a democratic country which gives the Arabs an equal chance to vote, we cannot know what the outcome will be.”

Concluding his answer, the Rebbe turned to me. “Please tell me, is the spiritual arousal experienced by many after the war still as strongly felt?”

“It has subsided considerably,” I answered, “but there are still those who remain inspired, especially found among Sephardic Jews.”

“All Jews are in a state of awakening,” noted the Rebbe, addressing the difference between the types of Jews. “With the Sephardim it is only in a more revealed manner. In general, it's a lot easier to affect them because they divulge their emotions; Ashkenazi Jews, on the other hand, conceal their feelings."

Hesitantly I asked, “Should I write an article in the newspapers about the conflict presently raging in Israel, between the observant Jews and the non- observant Jews?”

“No,” the Rebbe answered. “If your readers themselves ask about it, only then must you answer and explain the issue, in a manner that dispels their question from the outset. As long as people are not asking of their own curiosity, you should not broach this topic.”

The Holocaust - An Insightful Letter & A Photo of The Rebbe at a Lag B'Omer Parade

Where was G-d? Why do the wicked prosper? The enormity of the Holocaust was asked by a Harvard professor whose faith was challenged by the seeming triumph of evil. The Avner Institute would like to present an insightful letter from the Rebbe, who answers that the Holocaust was one of many tragic tests in the history of the Jews, with special thanks to the Nissan Mindel Archives.

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Rebbe’s leadership, the Rebbe Archive would like to present a new series of photos of Lag B’Omer parades with the Rebbe taken over the years, during which thousands of children of all backgrounds would gather on Eastern Parkway, Chabad headquarters, for the highlight: the Rebbe’s special address to the Children. To learn more about this year’s event visit: www.thegreatparade.com. With special thanks to Rabbi Shimmy Weinbaum and Yechi Ezagui.

This e-mail is dedicated by Rabbi Mordechai Palace, in honor of his mother Basya Esther bas Paysach Phaim, who passed away Thursday, 25 Adar 5770. May her neshama have an aliya, and may we merit to see her soon with the coming of Moshiach.

Good Shabbos
Menachem


By the Grace of G-d

5733



Dr. ________________

Cambridge, MA


Greetings and Blessings:
I duly received your letter of __, in which you write that you feel a rage, etc., as a result of the Holocaust.

There is a prevalent misconception about the Holocaust in the belief that it was something new and unprecedented, and therefore, requires an explanation which had never before been thought of. Yet, the only thing that is new about it is that it happened in the 20th century, in a country which was one of the foremost in philosophy and science, with the test of the world looking on with complete indifference. It only points out the glaring bankruptcy of the world’s so-called “civilization.”

The fact is – and in view of your academic background (PhD) you must surely know – that the Jewish people had suffered holocausts before, and, relatively speaking, even worse. There was the destruction of the Beth HaMikdosh at the hands of the Babylonians, and the second destruction by the Romans. In both cases more than one third of our people, men, women, and children, were brutally slain, and most of the remainder uprooted and exiled, or sold into slavery. This, in addition to the loss of the spiritual center in Jerusalem, loss of the country, and independence, etc. There were the Crusades in the Middle Ages, with the loss of countless Jewish communities and Jewish lives, and more. So why single out the recent, and let us hope last, holocaust?

Furthermore, from the viewpoint of the question “Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?” (a question incidentally asked by our Patriarch Abraham), in other words, from the viewpoint of Divine Justice, which is clearly the basis of your rage, etc., as you state in your letter – surely there is no difference in principle between the Holocaust and seeing a child afflicted with disease (as you also mention), for the child’s suffering cannot be justified punishment.

Has it not occurred to you – to mention a further point – that throughout the ages there were fruitful and G-d-fearing Jews, among them profound thinkers, who deeply thought about these and other problems, dedicating a lifetime to study and research, whose works have become the Guide for the Perplexed (the actual title of the celebrated classic by Maimonides)? Do you think that all these great minds simply ignored such a problem as the Holocaust?

Finally, and this is perhaps the most essential point, what would you say of a person, even a super human being, who declared that were it not for the Holocaust he would walk humbly before G-d and obey all His commandments, yet because of the Holocaust he is impelled to conclude that G-d is limited in His intellect, like me and you, and indeed more so, for you and I would not tolerate such a thing!

In summary, the question about the Holocaust is as old as the age-old question. Why do the wicked prosper? It has been dealt with at great length and with great profundity by great minds and in great books throughout the ages. We have not only learned to live with it, but it has not shaken the belief of the believer, for the simple reason that the human mind, even the greatest, is woefully limited and inadequate to question the Divine Mind.
The main point I wish to bring out here is that those who say that they cannot obey and fulfill the Divine Mitzvoth because of the Holocaust are only looking for an excuse, and it is a feeble attempt at self-justification in the face of a troubling conscience.

Moreover, to use the memory of the sacred martyrs who lost their lives in the Holocaust for no other reason but that they were Jews does not reflect, in my opinion, an honest concern for them, if their sacred memory is used as an excuse for shirking commitment to our people and our sacred heritage. I trust you will forgive me if I feel impelled to add – because of what is at stake, that the last remark is an understatement.

I note that you wanted to see me personally in regard to the subject matter of your letter, but there is really no need for it, since there is surely no need to add more to what has been said above. Besides, the schedule of appointments is fully booked for a long time ahead. So why wait?

With blessing,

For the Lubavitcher Rebbe

A Professor's Moving Recollection With The Rebbe.

This Friday, March 26 -- 11 Nissan -- marks the 108th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The Avner Institute would like to present an inspiring essay written by Susan Handelman, Professor of English, Bar Ilan University, in which she recounts her visits to the Rebbe, whom she describes as “the light in that darkness.” She writes vividly of his foresight in outreach, his involvement in her work, and her gratitude to the leader who shaped many from her generation.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a series of a newly released photo of the Rebbe from motzei Shabbos Mevarchim Shevat 5739/January 27, 1979, With Special thanks to Rabbi Lipa Brennan. We would like to thank Rabbi Leibel Roetter of Oak Park, Michigan, for the photos, which are being shared in memory of his daughter Pesha Leah Azoulay, who perished in a car accident.

With blessings for a Kosher and Happy Passover, may we celebrate next year in Jerusalem with the coming of Moshiach.

Menachem

Professor Handelman relates:

"I grew up in suburban Chicago in the 1950's, a typical third-generation assimilated American. Like many of my generation I fled Sunday school and the temple to which my family belonged, and could see nothing true or compelling in what seemed to be the hollow rituals that most of the congregants hardly understood.

Being Jewish in that milieu was a vaguely uncomfortable and perplexing experience, but not any obstacle to full immersion in the non-Jewish culture which surrounded us and swept us along with it. What power took me out of the deep exile in which I lived -- not just geographically, but intellectually, spiritually and emotionally?

Of course, the Torah promises that ultimately each and every Jew will be returned from exile and redeemed. But it was the Lubavitcher Rebbe who could not wait placidly for that redemption, who reached out to every Jew wherever he or she was found, to the furthest corner of the globe.

Among other reasons this was -- I believe -- because the Rebbe felt the pain of every Jew and of the Jewish people in every second of exile. And because the Rebbe also saw the sparks of the Divine everywhere, waiting to be uncovered.

And so, eventually, the Rebbe reached me, and helped take me out of my exile too.

In the late 1960's, when many of my generation rebelled in extreme ways, the Rebbe understood us. He sensed that our restlessness came from a spiritual discontent. Instead of chastising us, he sent us his best Chasidim to found Chabad Houses -- to teach us, to live with us, to love us.

I think that was what really lay behind the development under the Rebbe's leadership of the extraordinary international network of Chabad institutions, from Hong Kong to Paris to Katmandu.

The Rebbe felt our pain, he intuited our yearning. And he saw us not just as products of late twentieth century America, but under the light of Jewish eternity. We were princes and prophets and sages; each Jew was royalty; each Jew was precious; each Jew was the emissary and reflection of G-d in the world.

I first encountered the Rebbe through his emissaries at the Chabad House at the State University of New York at Buffalo where I was attending graduate school. I then spent six months living in the Lubavitch center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in close proximity to the Rebbe.

By the time I came to Crown Heights, in 1976, private audiences with the Rebbe had become very restricted. When he had been younger, he would meet with people all through the night. In my time, he was in his late seventies and would meet with people "only" until midnight or one a.m.

I never had an extended private audience with him, but I had many small encounters and received answers to the letters I wrote, and comments about essays I published.

Everyone speaks about the Rebbe's eyes, the depth and penetration of his gaze. In his presence one felt immediately purer, truer, closer to G-d. One knew what mattered and what was important in life.

When my mother came to visit me in Brooklyn, perturbed about my affiliation with this group of Chasidim, I took her to the alcove by the Rebbe's office on the day she was to leave. People who were going on a trip would stand there, and as the Rebbe would emerge to pray the afternoon prayer with the yeshiva students, he would give blessings to the travelers. He turned, looked at my mother, and said softly in Yiddish, in his mellifluous voice: "Fohr gezunterheit -- travel safely."

All of a sudden my mother was crying, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know why . . . I don't know why I am crying," she said. "I'm not sad." Something in his glance and voice had penetrated the depths of her soul.

Another friend came with me to one of the Rebbe's special gatherings for women -- a secular, radical feminist. She passed closely by the Rebbe, and tears, too, came into her eyes, from some unknown depth. "He looks like what I imagine Moses must have looked like," she said.
When I first came to study in Crown Heights, I struggled very hard with the issues of Judaism and feminism. To work out these conflicts I wrote an article, "The Jewish Woman: Three Steps Behind?", and gave it to the editor of Di Yiddishe Heim--The Jewish Home, a modest Yiddish-English magazine for Lubavitcher women. Before the article was published, I had occasion to write to the Rebbe for a blessing for a sick uncle.

The Rebbe could receive -- and personally read and answer -- around 400 letters day. And probably equally as many telephone calls with questions and requests for blessings would come in each day from around the world. How, I wondered, did he find time and energy for all this, especially amidst all his other responsibilities?

The Rebbe's secretary phoned me back to read me the response the Rebbe had written on my letter. The Rebbe promised to say a special prayer for my uncle, and the Rebbe added the words, "I enjoyed your article in the forthcoming Yiddishe Heim."

I was surprised. How did the Rebbe know about an article which had not even been published? The editor told me that the Rebbe had such a deep desire to support the efforts of Lubavitcher women, that he personally took the time to read and make his own notes and corrections on all the manuscripts for this journal.

I subsequently wrote several articles for the journal, and as a favor, the editor gave me back my typescripts with the Rebbe's notes and corrections.

As an English professor who has taught college writing, I was amazed at the Rebbe's editing of my English. He not only deepened the Torah concepts, but he took out excess words and amended punctuation, spelling, and syntax with careful attention to each detail. I wish I could give the same attention to correcting my own students' papers as he did to my manuscripts.

The Rebbe was a great supporter of Jewish women and had a special relationship to them. He spoke often of the greatness of the Jewish women; he held special gatherings to address them; he advocated depth and breadth in their Torah study; he sent them on missions around the world; he initiated several campaigns to encourage Jewish women to perform the special mitzvoth pertaining to them. He created a stir in the Jewish world when he urged all women, even those who were not married, and all girls over the age of three, to light the Sabbath and Yom Tov candles.

As a woman engaged in intellectual and academic work, I received the greatest encouragement from the Rebbe -- blessings to continue my Ph.D. in English, advice about possible dissertation topics, and advice about how to negotiate the politics within the university (the Rebbe himself had attended the Sorbonne and the University of Berlin). I sensed that he wanted me to employ to the fullest all my intellectual capacities and all the secular knowledge I attained from my Ivy League education -- to elevate all this and use it in the service of Torah and Yiddishkeit.

From the Rebbe's personal example I learned that there was nothing in the world a Jew need fear; that every place and every action and every moment called for a Jew to bring G-dliness into the world; and that no obstacle would ultimately stand in the face of a Jew's will to do so; that to be a Jew was the highest calling, a privilege and immense responsibility.

Growing up in suburban Chicago in the 1950s and '60s, we Jews had kept a low profile. From the Rebbe I learned not to be ashamed, not to be afraid – that the world, in fact, was yearning for the light of Torah.

In an article for Di Yiddishe Heim, which I based on one of the Rebbe's talks, I compared the thoughts found in secular philosophy and science to those of Torah. The Rebbe had discussed the ways in which secular forms of knowledge are all limited; yet these very limitations give a person a sense of satisfaction because he or she can grasp a body of secular knowledge -- "master a field." Torah, however, is unlimited and infinite, and I wrote the sentence, "Thus one can never contain Torah, master it." In editing this manuscript, the Rebbe amended the sentence to read, "Thus one can never contain all the content of even one dvar (sentence of) Torah, master it."

Yet, if there was a master of Torah in our generation, it was surely the Rebbe. I remember standing at farbrengens, the public gatherings the Rebbe would hold.

The large synagogue in Brooklyn would be packed with a thousand or more people. If it were a weekday, the Rebbe would start to speak at around 9 p.m. and often give several sichot (talks), each lasting about 40 minutes. Without a note, he would speak into the early hours of the morning, for five or more hours, citing liberally from memory the whole corpus of Jewish literature -- Bible, Midrash, Talmud, classic commentary, Kabbalah, Jewish law, Chasidic philosophy. He would discuss the needs of the Jewish people or the political situation in Israel, and in between talks, the Chasidim would sing and drink l'chaim.

When he spoke Torah, it was not just another lecture, a flow of words: there was something magnetic about the Rebbe's presence. Each talk was complex but beautifully structured and full of startling insights.

There are now about 40 volumes of these edited talks and scores more volumes of his letters. Yet indeed, in that emendation he made to my sentence, one also sees his great humility. "One can never contain the content of even a sentence of Torah." There was a regality and elegance about the Rebbe, and yet there was also his great humility.

In the few years before he became ill, when in his nineties, he would stand in the alcove by his office every Sunday to speak for a few moments personally and face-to-face with anyone who wanted to see him, and give out dollars to each person to be given for charity.

How could a 90-year-old man stand on his feet for hours and hours without talking a moment's rest, or a drink? And how could he focus so intently and exclusively on each and every person who came through the line of thousands which stretched for blocks outside his office?

I heard that when urged to sit during these long sessions, he responded by asking: how could he sit when people were coming to him with their problems, needs, and pains?

And despite the crush of the crowds, and the pressure of all his responsibilities, the Rebbe never seemed to be in a hurry. But he also never wasted a moment; every movement of his body was exact and yet fluid -- like a maestro conducting a symphony orchestra. There was a combination of intense energy and intense calm about him.

For me, watching and listening to the Rebbe at his public gatherings, time and space dissolved. I would catch myself and think -- "I am standing in the midst of some of the worst slums of New York City. How can it be that in the `heart of darkness' there is so much light?"

I said to a friend once, "It is so paradoxical to find this great tzadik in the midst of all the violence and squalor and despair of this broken-down part of Brooklyn." And my friend responded, "And where else do you think you would find him? Where else does he belong -- the Plaza Hotel?"

The Rebbe refused to abandon Crown Heights when the neighborhood changed. It was consistent with his refusal to abandon any Jew, to leave anyone behind. And it was consistent with his refusal to give in to fear. It was also consistent with the principle of mesirat nefesh, self-sacrifice for love of the Jewish people that he embodied and that he taught his followers.

And it was an affirmation of one of the great principles of Chasidic philosophy that "every descent is for the purpose of an ascent" . . . that from overcoming the darkness ultimately comes the greatest light.

As the Rebbe often said, we live in an era of "doubled and redoubled darkness” -- that is, a darkness so deep we do not even know it is darkness any more. He was the light in that darkness, and he remains so even after his passing

The Rebbe Thanks The Rebbetzin's Doctor + Beautiful Photo

When his wife Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory, was cured of a sickness, the Rebbe did more than pay the physician. He thanked him for his success, which came from the true “Healer of all flesh and Performer of wonders.” The Avner Institute presents this letter, courtesy of Rabbi Sholom Ber Weinber and Mrs. Rishe Deitsch, where the Rebbe elegantly writes of the physician’s role and remittance due to level personal and professional care.

In addition the Rebbe Archive presents a beautiful photo, with special thanks to Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem



The Rebbe's Letter:

"At the outset, on behalf of Mrs. Schneerson as well as on my own behalf, I wish to convey our sincere appreciation for your kind and considerate care in connection to the recent incident that occurred with Mrs. Schneerson. [Thank you] for your immediate response and home visitation at an inconvenient hour, etc., [and] all this in addition to your having provided her with your expert and skilled treatment and care.

I surely need not stress to you how important it is to the patient that the doctor expresses personal interest and attention, particularly as this constitutes a significant aspect in the patient’s healing. As you yourself correctly noted in the course of our conversation, the mind has a critical degree of influence over the entire body and one’s state of mind directly affects the healing process.

We extend our thanks in anticipation of your continued interest and assistance.
I hope and pray that G-d, “Healer of all flesh and Performer of wonders,” will bless you with success regarding all your patients, including this present one.
I had occasion to hear a thought from my father-in-law, may the memory of a tzaddik be for a blessing — a thought that has its place in our Torah, which is called the Torah of Life (as it serves as our guide and source of life) — that in order to assure the success of the medical treatment, the remuneration for the doctor’s services are to be in keeping with the medical stature of the treating physician.
In point of fact, this principle applies to all professions and services, including communal services. It need not be said that my father-in-law put this into practice and I wish to do the same.

I therefore am taking the liberty to enclose my check, although I am not sure whether this is the appropriate payment. I am sure, however, that if this sum does not suffice, you will see to it that your secretary contacts my secretary so that I will be able to rectify the matter. Together with the payment comes the traditional Jewish blessing, “Use it in good health.”

One of the primary reasons for the above principle is the fact that the Torah is aware that a doctor or someone with another occupation has fiscal responsibilities to his family and community, etc., responsibilities that he can adequately take care of only if his services are adequately paid for.

Therefore, if the receiver of the services does not satisfactorily reimburse the provider of the service, a thought might arise in the doctor’s mind (fleeting as it might be) that it would be acceptable for him next time to delay treating this individual in favor of an individual who pays what is expected of him.

Consequently, the Torah strives to remove even the possibility of such a thought. Thus, whatever occupation Providence had in mind for an individual to carry out for the benefit of others, this will always be done with total dedication and devotion.
Once again, my great thanks. With respect and personal regards,

P.S. After this letter was written, your official bill was received. Enclosed please find a check. However, as I emphasized, this is a formal payment while my letter and the [other] attached payment are on a personal basis, as a much deeper and more personal gesture than that of the formal relationship between doctor and patient.

"Eilat, Paris, Melbourne" -- A Yechidus & Photo of The Rebbe

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, Chabad rabbi of Haifa, had with the Rebbe in the winter of 1964.

Included is a beautiful photo from the Rebbe Archive, with special thanks to Yechi Ezagui.

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 someach (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."

Purim in Alaska 1973 & A Beautiful Photo of The Rebbe on Purim

The Avner Institute Would like to present a beautiful encounter that took place in Alaska with Rabbi Yisrael Haber, who was serving there at the time as Air Force chaplain.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a special photo of the Rebbe on Purim 1953, with special thanks to Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem


fter joining the U.S. Air Force as a chaplain and being assigned to Alaska, Rabbi Yisrael Haber informed the Pentagon that he could not go to Alaska as there was no mikva there. He was told, "Whatever you need, you'll get." Six months later, work began on the first mikva in Alaska, built at Elmendorf Air Force Base. The following is excerpted from Rabbi Haber's book "A Rabbi's Northern Adventure," Meor Menachem Pub.

Rabbi Haber relates:

"When I received word that the base engineers had gathered all of the material needed for the mikva's construction, I phoned Rabbi Gershon Grossbaum [an emissary of the Rebbe in S. Paul, Minnesota, and an expert in the intricacies of building a mikva], and he assured me that he would be ready to come at a moment's notice.

I asked for permission to bring the Rabbi to Elmendorf. Explaining that the holiday of Purim was just two weeks away, I suggested that Rabbi Grossbaum could visit Fairbanks at that time to lead the holiday festivities there. The Colonel agreed.

A few days later my wife Miriam and I went to Anchorage International Airport to welcome Rabbi Grossbaum. I explained that he would be meeting with Colonel Brame the following morning. Though the Colonel had spoken many times on the telephone with the Rabbi, he had no idea what Rabbi Grossbaum looked like. To ease the shock, I thought it proper to educate the Rabbi about protocol on a military base. "This is the military," I said. "People aren't used to black fedora hats."

I told him that when he walks into a building, he should take off his hat; he would still have his kippa on underneath. "When you leave the building, you can put your hat back on," I explained.

"No problem, Captain Haber," Rabbi Grossbaum said with a joking salute.

The next day, when we walked into the building, Rabbi Grossbaum looked around at the soldiers, put his hand to his hat and secured it in place.
"Now what am I going to do?" I thought.

People were gazing at us curiously. Many of them probably had never seen a Chasidic rabbi before. Rabbi Grossbaum looked as much a part of the Anchorage military scene as a polar bear would have looked in a Miami Beach hotel.

When I opened the door to the Colonel's office, I was in for a shock. Colonel Brame came around his desk and gave Rabbi Grossbaum a happy embrace. For six months, the Methodist Midwestern Air Force colonel and the Lubavitcher Rabbi had spoken on the telephone about mikvas, and now they hugged one another as if they had known each other for years.

A major and a sergeant from the engineer corps sat at a table observing the unusual greeting. Behind them, tacked to a corkboard, were blueprints and sketches of the proposed mikva. The engineers got down to work, explaining in technical jargon their plan for the mikva. In the middle of their discussion, Rabbi Grossbaum stood up, still with his hat on, and said, "Excuse me, may I say a few words?
"I have a few suggestions, if you don't mind. I think you've made some mistakes."

He took out a piece of graph paper and began to speak in technical terms, which I couldn't follow. I noticed that Colonel Brame was very impressed. As Rabbi Grossbaum continued to explain what sounded like a doctorate thesis in mikva construction, the Colonel flashed the major and sergeant disapproving looks for having made so many mistakes. When Rabbi Grossbaum finished, the engineers were speechless. They stared at their drawings and began asking questions.

Colonel Brame stood up and took me aside. "Chaplain," he said. "There's something about that Rabbi I have to talk to you about." Glancing at Rabbi Grossbaum, he whispered, "You see that Rabbi there? Now he really looks like a Rabbi."

In Colonel Brame's eyes, Rabbi Grossbaum could do no wrong. He dismissed the team of engineers and said, "Rabbi, you and I are going to build that mikva together."

Certainly it was no coincidence that the work on the mivka began in the Jewish month of Adar, a time of great happiness for the Jewish people. The following article appeared in the Anchorage Times on the eve of Purim:

"Today, Jews observe the Fast of Esther, followed tonight by the festive feast of Purim, with services scheduled in Chapel Number One at Elmendorf Air Force Base. During the one-day holiday, Rabbi Israel Haber will conduct services tonight and tomorrow morning, when Jews give charity, gifts to friends, and enjoy a boisterous Purim feast. Purim celebrates the victory of the Jews over King Ahasuerus who ordered that all of the Jews of his kingdom be put to death. Rabbi Haber said that this was a time of great joy, Jewish fellowship, and charity. Purim is especially beloved by children who are allowed to interrupt the reading of the Megilla, the Scroll of Esther, with special nosemakers called gragers whenever the name of Haman, the archenemy of the Jews, is mentioned.

"In Alaska, to conduct Purim and Shabbat services at Forth Wainwright in Fairbanks, is Rabbi Shalom Gershon Grossbaum, a member of the Lubavitcher Hasidic sect. He will return to Anchorage next week to direct the building of a ritual chamber called a mikva, to be located at Chapel Number Two. Rabbi Haber said that this will be the first ritualarium in Alaska."

The day after Purim, Rabbi Grossbaum was back on the job in Anchorage, working at a furious pace to finish the mikva. What a joy it was to see him standing with his black hat directing the plumbers, electricians, carpenters, cement layers and painters who arrived at each step of the project. And what fun it was to see the looks on their faces when they discovered that the construction site boss was a bearded Chasidic rabbi from Minnesota!

Inspiring Yechidus & Photo of The Rebbe

Over the years Reuven Dunin, a”h, late Chabad emissary of Haifa, shared a special relationship with the Rebbe. The Avner Institute would like to present a unique yechidus (private audience) taken from notes Rabbi Dunin wrote down after leaving the Rebbe’s room.

Included is a photo of the Rebbe, courtesy of the Rebbe Archive, with special thanks to Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

In his diary, Rabbi Reuven Dunin, a”h, remembers a profound private audience with the Rebbe took place 26 Tishrei 5721 (1961):

"It was after ma’ariv, the evening service, a few minutes past seven. The month of Tishrei was nearly over, and those of us, the Rebbe’s Chassidim who had converged on Crown Heights to partake in the magical atmosphere, were starting to pack their bags and return home – home being the work of the Rebbe needed elsewhere. Before making my own eventual preparations I felt an inner urge to be, once again, near the Rebbe and alone with him"

I walked into 770, amid the cluster of offices and busy attendants. Usually whenever the Rebbe entered his room, he left the door unlocked. That night, seizing the opportunity, I knocked lightly on the door and heard the Rebbe answer in Yiddish, "Yes?” Then I went in.

The Rebbe was holding a bundle of letters. “What is it, Reb Reuven?”

I groped for a way to begin. “How do I know whether I am fulfilling the Rebbe's will?”

Putting down the bundle of letters, the Rebbe calmly answered, “If you act in accordance with the Shulchan Aruch [Code of Jewish Law], then you know you are acting in accordance with my will. For if not, that means there are doubts about whether I fulfill theShulchan Aruch.”

I was amazed. “How can there be any doubts as to whether the Rebbe fulfills Shulchan Aruch?”

“If you do not fulfill the Shulchan Aruch, G-d forbid,” the Rebbe answered, “then it is suspected that I do not keep Shulchan Aruch.”

“Does one nevertheless still belong to the Rebbe?” I asked.

The Rebbe nodded and I remained silent, though I longed to speak.

Then he continued, “Why should you split hairs and search?”

He rose and clutched his lapels in a mock dramatic manner. “The thoughts that come from the yetzer [inclination] – you have to grab the yetzer by the sleeve and toss him out, and do what you have to do. Do not get into arguments with him; instead, turn your thoughts towards Torah matters, to whatever is necessary.

“If I thought you had something to correct I wouldn't keep it to myself, and if I don't tell you, why must you search? If I wasn't satisfied, I wouldn't say all this to you.”

He then made reference to the holiday that had just elapsed, the height of the Tishrei celebration. “From Simchas Torah you must take simcha [joy] for the entire year. Not even a week has gone by since Simchas Torah and already . . . you must learn from what I do.”

It was then that I saw the Rebbe cry. Tears trickled down the side of his face. Here he was, stressing the role of joy, yet he seemed deeply pained.

Sensing my confusion, the Rebbe explained, “There is no contradiction – the tears fall because we find ourselves in exile. However, one’s actions, in fulfilling one’s Godly mission, must be done with joy daily. As the Zohar states, "joy is lodged in one side of my heart, and weeping in the other.”

The Rebbe then took out a Tanya, the classic text and guiding light of Chabad philosophy. He turned to the end of Chapter 31 and, pointing to the words, read, "And this should be his service all his life in great joy,” emphasizing that sadness is the result of the distance between the body and its enlivening soul.

Then he pointed to the phrase “and also simchas ha'nefesh,” the joy of the soul in her release from the despised body, and connected these words with the ideas about simcha at the end of chapter 33 -- that every Jew should be glad to dwell in the lower worlds, which through our faith become a “private domain” for G-d and His blessed Unity.

A Birthday Gift Request From The Rebbe

In honor of the Rebbe’s birthday, 11 Nissan, Mr. David Chase, Chairman of the Board of the Rabbinical College of America, attended a farbrengen (gathering) of the Rebbe. The next day the Rebbe sent Mr. Chase the accompanying letter, wishing him Passover blessings.

In a P.S. the Rebbe asked Mr. Chase for a “birthday gift.” Mr. Chase, very taken by the request, said to Rabbi Moshe Herson, “I can’t let the Rebbe down.” He began laying tefillin daily, a practice he faithfully continues to this day (in fact, on his own adding later the wearing of a tallis, a prayer shawl).

The Avner Institute would like to present this letter, with special thanks to Rabbi Moshe Herson, Dean of Rabbinical College of America, We have also included a photo of the Rebbe, courtesy of the Rebbe Archive; special thanks to Yechi Ezagui.

Good Shabbos
Menachem


By the Grace of G-d
12 Nissan 5741
Brooklyn, NY

Dr. David Tuvia Chase
1 Financial Plaza
Hartford, CT 05203

Greeting and Blessing:

On the occasion of the forthcoming yomtov Pesach, I send you my prayerful wishes that the Festival of our Freedom bring you and yours true freedom, freedom from anxiety, material and spiritual, from anything which might distract from servicing G_d wholeheartedly and with joy, and to carry over this freedom and joy into the whole year.

Wishing you and yours a kosher and happy

With blessing,
[signature]

P.S. It was a pleasure to see you at the farbrengen on the occasion of the 11th of Nissan, and exchange l’chayim blessings.

Although it is not customary nor proper to ask for a birthday gift, but considering our special relationship, I venture to do so, being confident that you will treat it in the proper spirit.

The birthday gift that I have in mind, which I would consider an honor, as well as a great pleasure, is that you devote a quarter of an hour of your time every weekday morning and dedicate it for the sacred purpose of putting on tefillin, with the appropriate prayer that goes with it, such as Shema and the like. The letter need not necessarily be recited in Hebrew. If you can manage this in ten minutes, I am prepared to forego five minutes and let it be only ten minutes of your time.

In addition to the thing itself, being one of the greatest mitzvoth, as our Sages said that the whole Torah was compared to it, the mitzvah of putting on tefillin on the left arm, facing the heart, and on the head, the seat of the intellect, has the special Divine quality of purifying the heart and the mind, emotion and reason, and bring them in the proper balance and harmony. While this is important for every Jew, it is certainly of special significance to one whose activities normally involve a great deal of mental and emotional strain, and it is highly important to have them in the proper balance for the utmost degree of efficiency.

The above is of additional significance in your case as chairman of the Board of the Rabbinical College of America in which you had such remarkable hatzlacha, with G-d’s help, and have been able to involve many others to follow in your footsteps. Thus, this “birthday gift” would also have a salutary impact on the Rabbinical College, its administration and students, and further widen the channels for all concerned to receive G-d’s blessings materially and spiritually.

I trust that you put on tefillin every morning in any case, and the reason I am asking the above is only that you should make it a definite point on your calendar, to make sure that your preoccupation with your personal business and the business of the Rabbinical College would not distract you even once to overlook the putting on of tefillin. And this will be my reward.

P.P.S. Although in matters of the Rabbinical College, I usually send a copy to our distinguished mutual friend Rabbi Moshe Herson, I am not sending him a copy of this letter, considering its personal nature. I leave it to you whether you wish to show it to him.

"The Rebbetzin is Always so Happy"

This Shabbos, 22 Shevat (February 6), marks the 22st anniversary of the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory. Daughter of the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory, and wife of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka lived an intensely private life while quietly supporting her husband’s work. She proved a true helpmate and an inspiration for thousands of Lubavitcher women.

The Avner Institute would like to present excerpts from My Encounter with the Rebbe, Volume 1, by Zalmon Jaffe, of blessed memory. A British businessman and personal guest of the Rebbe, Mr. Jaffe came to Crown Heights every Shavous. He recorded his experiences in a journal which would be published annually for the Chabad community. He and his wife Roselyn enjoyed a special relationship with the Rebbetzin, whom they had the merit to visit during their frequent stays and whose gracious manner was warmly remembered. We would like to thank www.MyEncounter.com for sharing these excerpts.

We have also included unique photos of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, as well as photos that were taken over the years, the The Picture is From the Archives of Eli Slavin, Crown Heights with special thanks to the Rebbe Archive and Yechi Ezagui.

This e-mail is dedicated to my brother Schneur Zalman Kirschenbaum in honor of his engagement to Sarah Leah Krinsky, may they build a Bayis Ne'eman B'yisrael!

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Our visit in 1972:

We again had the zechus (privilege) to visit our dear Rebbetzin at her home. Actually we had a double zechus, because we were fortunate to visit her on two separate occasions, as we did last year.

Her house had just been redecorated. It was very nice and bright. Our Rebbetzin also looked very nice and bright; she seemed much younger than last year. She oozes charm and graciousness. To quote an expression often used by the Rebbetzin herself, which translates as exceptional, "umberuffen." We feel proud and privileged to again be in her company.

She inquired about our children and grandchildren, especially regarding Susan, for whom we delivered another letter to the Rebbetzin. In her letters, Susan describes the daily happenings which occur at home in Manchester.

We spent a very pleasant couple of hours together. I read out excerpts from last year's diary, my Israel diary and parts of this Shavuos trip's diaries, which I am writing now (I had brief notes).

The Rebbetzin praised my work (it was not just politeness, she is obviously a real lady), and remarked that I had talent and a gift for writing. She recommended that I have all my diaries printed in one volume.

On our second visit with the Rebbetzin, time simply fled. The two hours seemed like 30 minutes and it was time for mincha (the afternoon service).

The Rebbetzin confirmed that the Rebbe does enjoy seeing me and everyone at the davening (prayers). Although it did seem that the Rebbe does not notice anyone, the Rebbetzin assured me that he saw everybody and it made him very happy indeed.

We again had the zechus (privilege) to visit our dear Rebbetzin at her home. Actually we had a double zechus, because we were fortunate to visit her on two separate occasions, as we did last year.

Her house had just been redecorated. It was very nice and bright. Our Rebbetzin also looked very nice and bright; she seemed much younger than last year. She oozes charm and graciousness. To quote an expression often used by the Rebbetzin herself, which translates as exceptional, "umberuffen." We feel proud and privileged to again be in her company.

She inquired about our children and grandchildren, especially regarding Susan, for whom we delivered another letter to the Rebbetzin. In her letters, Susan describes the daily happenings which occur at home in Manchester.

We spent a very pleasant couple of hours together. I read out excerpts from last year's diary, my Israel diary and parts of this Shavuos trip's diaries, which I am writing now (I had brief notes).

The Rebbetzin praised my work (it was not just politeness, she is obviously a real lady), and remarked that I had talent and a gift for writing. She recommended that I have all my diaries printed in one volume.

On our second visit with the Rebbetzin, time simply fled. The two hours seemed like 30 minutes and it was time for mincha (the afternoon service).

The Rebbetzin confirmed that the Rebbe does enjoy seeing me and everyone at the davening (prayers). Although it did seem that the Rebbe does not notice anyone, the Rebbetzin assured me that he saw everybody and it made him very happy indeed.

"To Visit our Dear Rebbetzin at Her Home"

The Avner Institute would like to present excerpts from My Encounter with the Rebbe, Volume 1, by Zalmon Jaffe, of blessed memory. A British businessman and personal guest of the Rebbe, Mr. Jaffe came to Crown Heights every Shavous. He recorded his experiences in a journal which would be published annually for the Chabad community. He and his wife Roselyn enjoyed a special relationship with the Rebbetzin, whom they had the merit to visit during their frequent stays and whose gracious manner was warmly remembered. We would like to thank www.MyEncounter.com for sharing these excerpts.

(The Picture is From the Archives of Eli Slavin, Crown Heights)


Our visit in 1972:

We again had the zechus (privilege) to visit our dear Rebbetzin at her home. Actually we had a double zechus, because we were fortunate to visit her on two separate occasions, as we did last year.

Her house had just been redecorated. It was very nice and bright. Our Rebbetzin also looked very nice and bright; she seemed much younger than last year. She oozes charm and graciousness. To quote an expression often used by the Rebbetzin herself, which translates as exceptional, "umberuffen." We feel proud and privileged to again be in her company.

She inquired about our children and grandchildren, especially regarding Susan, for whom we delivered another letter to the Rebbetzin. In her letters, Susan describes the daily happenings which occur at home in Manchester.

We spent a very pleasant couple of hours together. I read out excerpts from last year's diary, my Israel diary and parts of this Shavuos trip's diaries, which I am writing now (I had brief notes).

The Rebbetzin praised my work (it was not just politeness, she is obviously a real lady), and remarked that I had talent and a gift for writing. She recommended that I have all my diaries printed in one volume.

On our second visit with the Rebbetzin, time simply fled. The two hours seemed like 30 minutes and it was time for mincha (the afternoon service).

The Rebbetzin confirmed that the Rebbe does enjoy seeing me and everyone at the davening (prayers). Although it did seem that the Rebbe does not notice anyone, the Rebbetzin assured me that he saw everybody and it made him very happy indeed.

We again had the zechus (privilege) to visit our dear Rebbetzin at her home. Actually we had a double zechus, because we were fortunate to visit her on two separate occasions, as we did last year.

Her house had just been redecorated. It was very nice and bright. Our Rebbetzin also looked very nice and bright; she seemed much younger than last year. She oozes charm and graciousness. To quote an expression often used by the Rebbetzin herself, which translates as exceptional, "umberuffen." We feel proud and privileged to again be in her company.

She inquired about our children and grandchildren, especially regarding Susan, for whom we delivered another letter to the Rebbetzin. In her letters, Susan describes the daily happenings which occur at home in Manchester.

We spent a very pleasant couple of hours together. I read out excerpts from last year's diary, my Israel diary and parts of this Shavuos trip's diaries, which I am writing now (I had brief notes).

The Rebbetzin praised my work (it was not just politeness, she is obviously a real lady), and remarked that I had talent and a gift for writing. She recommended that I have all my diaries printed in one volume.

On our second visit with the Rebbetzin, time simply fled. The two hours seemed like 30 minutes and it was time for mincha (the afternoon service).

The Rebbetzin confirmed that the Rebbe does enjoy seeing me and everyone at the davening (prayers). Although it did seem that the Rebbe does not notice anyone, the Rebbetzin assured me that he saw everybody and it made him very happy indeed.