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

A Moving Purim Encounter with the Rebbe

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

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


Good Shabbos
Menachem

To Reveal a Soul

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suddenly, I saw two Chasidim running like crazy.

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

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

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

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

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

“Seen . . . but not Close”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Rebbe Visit to Baltimore 1930

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

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

With special thanks to Rabbi Levi Druk.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

From The Baltimore Sun Jan. 13, 1930:

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

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

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

Brings Message to U.S.

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

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

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

Allowed to Leave Russia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

yearnings of the Jewish people.

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

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

Mayor to Receive Him

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

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

Meets Jewish Delegations

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

Kosher Meditation

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

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

Good Shabbos
Menachem

B.H.
11 Sivan, 5738
Brooklyn, NY

Dr.
P.A., Cal

Greeting and Blessing:

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With esteem and blessing,

M. Schneerson

Why the Lubavitcher Rebbe?

In 1956 the first delegation of rabbis traveled to the Soviet Union, a trip widely covered by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and other Jewish agencies in Europe and Israel. The Rebbe also took great interest and gave one of the dignitaries, Rabbi B. Hollander, directives on how to deal with the Jews in Russia.

Also among the dignitaries was Rabbi Samuel Adelman, who served as leader of the Beth Medrash Hagadol Synagogue in Denver, Colorado, and board member of the National Council of Synagogue Youth (NSCY). Rabbi Adelman, who died at the early age of 50, met privately, upon his return to the U.S., the Rebbe, with whom he shared his thoughts and experiences of the trip. Back at Denver, he wrote up details of his audience in his synagogue’s weekly bulletin, dated September 20, 1960. The Avner Institute would like to present his write-up, with special thanks to his daughter Mrs. Shulamith Adelman Schwartz and to Rabbi Dovid Lookstein.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe at a rally for children returning from Jewish camps in the summer of 1959.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

In the summer of 1956, after our return from the Soviet Union, I made a visit to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneirson, better known as the Lubavitcher Rabbi.

The purpose of my visit was more than idle curiosity. Somehow, as a result of what we had seen in Russia, I felt that I could find the answer to a most perplexing problem—how to captivate the hearts and hands of our people for God and His Torah—how to cause commitment to His Truth.

But why the Lubavitcher Rabbi? For this I will have to go back to our visit in the Soviet Union.

It would be trite to repeat the oft-heard story of spiritual decay in this hell-on-earth—where Satan rules and the god of materialism holds sway.

Yet it was in the midst of this modern Egypt and its forty-nine degrees of spiritual uncleanliness that my colleagues and I discovered the only meaningful resistance among our people. For, to our amazement, we found scattered groups of Lubavitcher Chassidim that had somehow managed, not only to survive, but to continue to find strength and to transmit it to their children.

Upon my return to America, I hastened to 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, expecting to find an imposing building as would befit this gigantic challenge to Russian Communism and the god of Moloch. I looked for severe security measures—secret chambers—and a hard dynamic leader of international movement.

I suppose that I was a little disappointed to find, instead, a ramshackle old building, badly in need of paint and repair, the lusty voices of young men hard at a folio of Talmud—and a soft spoken and gentle middle aged rabbi, who seemed hardly to be a match for the Kruschev I had met in Moscow.

But that was until I started to speak to Rabbi Schneirson and looked into his eyes.

Slowly, it began to dawn on me why we had met Lubavitcher Chassidim in Russia, even after they had been cut off from their source of strength for over thirty years. The former Lubavitcher Rabbi had been expelled in the mid-twenties—but more importantly, I began to see the answer to many questions that had been giving me no peace. For here I saw strength of a different kind—the strength of spirit.

The answer was obvious. To overcome material giganticism, one does not have to meet it on its own level. Synagogues need not be turned into a kind of religious night club or replica of Las Vegas to draw on the hearts of its people.

The simple answer to material giganticism is in being spiritually gigantic. No more—no less.

The power of truth is overwhelming—and its obvious asset is that it is Truth.

This is the great discovery that is beginning to turn American Jews back to the synagogue. We are beginning to realize, in the words of the Lubavitcher Rabbi:

“Far dem emes muzen alle fahlen!“

“Before the truth, all most prostrate themselves.”

Egypt's Dishonesty 1977 - Insightful Letter of the Rebbe

Over the last two weeks the news in the Middle East, particularly Egypt, has left many wondering, “What is in store for Israel?” How does the recent upheaval and overthrow of dictators impact that part of the world and the “land for peace” that was arranged by Sadat and Begin? The Avner Institute would like to present a letter written over 30 years ago to the editorial staff of B’nai Brith Messenger of Los angeles California, where the Rebbe’s grim assessment of the Camp David Accords proved how using the Land of Israel as a bargaining chip with notoriously spiteful and dishonest governments offered nothing in the end, only greater danger for Israel.

This letter is presented from the The Letter and The Spirit series, With special thanks to the Nissan Mindel Archives.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe arriving at 770, with special thanks to the Garelik family.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

5740
Mr.
Los Angeles California

The Rebbe comments on the writer’s membership to B’nai B’rith and the significance of the organization’s name—“B’rith” implying covenant made uniquely with Abraham, as stated in the Bible, a work also held sacred by Christians and Moslems. The Rebbe describes the importance of the Land of Israel within Jewish history and the distressing attempts by contemporary Jewish leaders to offer land under the illusory promise of peace.

. . . . As you may have heard, when the Camp David negotiations were initiated, I considered it my sacred duty to call attention to the true nature of this disastrous expediency. There was no basis in law, nor in justice, nor in reality, to give in to pressure to sign an accord and treaty, by which one party gives all and the other party takes all; namely, the first giving away tangible and vital resources in terms of territory, fortifications, air fields, oil wells; the dismantling of settlements, etc., all vital to its security, while the other gives in return no more than promises, such as the establishment of communications, exchange of ambassadors, and “normalization” of relations, all of which could be revoked at any moment under one pretext or another. I warned that far from bringing real and lasting peace, this “accord” would only whet our enemies’ appetite for more “grabs,” encouraged by the weakened security position of their adversary. I also warned that it was folly to put one’s trust in the USA’s part of this agreement, for it was obvious that the USA was leaning heavily towards the Arab position.

Since the signing of the Camp David Accords and Treaty, the consequences it has spawned have turned out to be even worse than I feared. Now, some 18 months later, everyone can clearly see that Egypt never intended to keep its promises fully. Right from the moment it took over one segment of Sinai after another, it broke its pledge to keep these zones demilitarized, though for the sake of expediency this matter has been hushed up. Even at this moment Egypt is busily engaged in aggressive military preparations (the construction of tunnels under the Suez is but one glaring example). This should come as no surprise, given the record of broken Egyptian pledges in the period following the Yom Kippur War, and ever since 1948. At the same time, it is demanding, and obtaining, from the U.S., an ever-increasing supply of the most sophisticated weaponry, not to mention what is going to such other “moderate” Arab states as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and even Iraq.

Such is the “even-handed” policy of our U.S. government. Be it also noted that even in regard to its own obligations in connection with the Camp David Accords, particularly the assurance of oil-supplies to compensate for the surrender of the oil wells in Sinai—developed with Jewish ingenuity and resources—it has found a convenient loophole, claiming that the situation is not “critical” as stipulated; which obliges the country to spend millions of dollars in overcharges on the open market, thus putting a critical squeeze on the economy of Eretz Yisrael, which is in dire enough straits as it is.

All the above is surely well known to you and, since you are connected with the news media, you probably know better than I what is going on behind the scenes in Washington and Cairo.

The question is: Now that we have a Camp David agreement signed, sealed and delivered, don’t we have to live with it? Would it be legally and morally right to abrogate it unilaterally?

There are two major answers to this question. First of all, an agreement is binding on either party only as long as the other is carrying out its part. As noted above, and as a matter of record, the Egyptians have not acted in good faith and have broken, and are breaking, many of their pledges under the agreement. (To cite one more glaring example, which should have created a much greater public shock than the tiny ripples it started: By their own admission, once the fact was discovered, the Egyptians had been reporting to other Arab nations, as well as the PLO, on the negotiations conducted with the representatives of Eretz Yisrael under the Camp David Accords.) In view of the systematic violations of the agreement by the Egyptians, the other party need not feel either legally or morally obligated to abide by it.

The second answer, which is equally valid, is that the Camp David Accords were based on a presumption that invalidated them in the first place. Clearly, no government official has the right to sign away the very security of the people and country he represents, nor the security of the next generation and subsequent generations, for no person can possibly have such a mandate, actual or implied. Certainly, in the present case, no such mandate was given—on the contrary, there is an explicit and expressed unanimity that the security of the Land of Israel and its three-and-a-half million Jews is not negotiable. Since the Camp David agreement does indeed jeopardize the security of the people and land of Israel, no signature, or even ratification, can be binding.

Incidentally, it has now been publicly admitted by a high-ranking member of the government of Eretz Yisrael and leading representative in the negotiations, that the Camp David agreement was a mistake, and that the terms, at any rate, should have been reversed, namely, that Egypt should have been made to comply with its obligations before surrendering to it the Sinai and all that went with it.

In summary, despite the political differences, dissension and confusion in certain Jewish circles, both in the Land of Israel and here in the USA, there is no Jew in the world who will tolerate the thought of genocide of the Jewish people, “even” in the very Land of Israel, and we have a right to expect all decent non-Jews to share in this determination.

Hence, Jews everywhere must stop bickering and must demand in one voice: No more concessions! No more giveaways! No more pressures!

And here is where my request comes in. I do not know what you and the editor and publisher of the BBM [B’nai Brith Messenger] think personally, as individuals, about the situation outlined above; nor am I adequately familiar with the position which the BBM has advocated in the past. I do believe, however, that a publication that carries the banner of B’nai B’rith (in the true sense of the term, as noted above), and which is now in its 84th year, has the primary obligation to carry the message of the Divine Covenant to its numerous readers, many of whom are leading personalities in various Jewish communities—the message of the Torah, Torat Chaim, and Torat Emet, namely: that Eretz Yisrael is ours by Divine Covenant, as indeed is recognized by all who believe in the sanctity of the Bible; and the “facts of life” and “truth” are that Jews are not “occupiers” or “aggressors” in their homeland, but that what has passed into our hands is only a restitution of what is rightfully ours by Divine will and grace, not by the “false grace” of the United Nations.

And we cannot afford to be magnanimous and give away any part of our tiny land in response to the threat of force, since the retention of every last inch of it is a matter of vital security for the three-and-a-half million Jews—men, women, and children—as well as for our Jewish people as a whole.

To conclude on the timely note of coming from Tisha B’Av and approaching the month of Elul, the month of special Divine grace and mercy—may G-d indeed reveal His mercy to the world, and to our Jewish people, and bring us the true and complete geula through Mashiach Tzidkeinu, which will also bring about the perfection of the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty. Indeed, every one of us can do much to hasten the realization of this Divine promise through an ongoing movement of teshuva—return to the Jewish essence, which is inseparably intertwined with Torah and mitzvoth and living Yiddishkeit in the everyday life, as our great Teacher and Guide of all times ruled (Rambam, Hil. Teshuva, 7:5): “Jews do teshuva and are redeemed immediately.”

With blessing,

[Sign.]

New Rebbe Photo 1949 & Inspiring Encounter - Brazil 1962

To the Rebbe, outreach was not limited to Jews. He frequently spoke of teaching people of all backgrounds, and many non-Jews were helped by the Rebbe’s special powers. The Avner Institute presents an amazing encounter related by Rabbi Shabsi Alpern, Director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Brazil, who will never forget the Rebbe’s personal attention to a very sick girl, in 1962.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a newly released photo of the Rebbe (standing in the background, second to the left, under the chupah) at the wedding of Rabbi Peretz and Chaya Ita Hecht, which took place 22 Adar 5709 (1949) at the Clinton Plaza Hall. With special thanks to Rabbi Shea Hecht.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Rabbi Alpern relates:

In earlier years when I first arrived in Brazil, the Chabad House would host a lecture every Tuesday evening. Often non-Jews attended.

One non-Jewish couple in particular appeared week after week. After one of the lectures I approached them and asked what had brought them there to explore Judaism. Why were they so interested?

The mother explained sadly, “My daughter Angela. She’s only eleven, but the doctors have found a tumor in her back. We hear there is a great rabbi in Brooklyn who is known to give effective blessings.”

She shot me a glance, a certain fear in her eyes. “We are anxious to meet this rabbi; perhaps he will give a blessing that will heal our daughter.”

I decided to write a letter to the Rebbe on their behalf and ask for a blessing for Angela. Weeks went by after the letter had been sent to New York, and this couple still never missed a lecture. Finally, when I arrived at the Chabad House one week, I sensed a jubilant atmosphere.

Angelo’s parents ran up to me. “We just went for a checkup, and the doctors were shocked to see that the entire growth had disappeared.”

Later that year I went to New York for 12 Tammuz, the date commemorating the birthday of the Previous Rebbe and his release from Russian prison. I was to leave for Brazil on a Monday and, it was hoped, meet with the Rebbe.

On Sunday afternoon, I was told that Rabbi Leibel Groner, one of the Rebbe’s secretaries, was looking for me. Rabbi Groner gave me a small note from the Rebbe that asked:

“Ma shlom hayalda v’hahemshech la’ze? [How is the girl doing and what was the result?]”

I immediately chided myself for not having let the Rebbe know that Angela had recovered. I sat down by the table of Rabbi Eliyahu Quint, another secretary of the Rebbe, and wrote a letter detailing Angela’s health.

As I finished, I turned over the note that I had received from the Rebbe about the girl, and I realized that it was my very own handwriting on the other side! On the very same letter that I had first written to the Rebbe about the girl, the Rebbe had torn a piece of the letter and answered me. Amazingly, the Rebbe had kept my letter all that time, waiting to hear the fate of this non-Jewish Brazilian girl.

When I returned to Brazil, I spoke to Angela’s mother and said that the “great rabbi” from Brooklyn had asked about her daughter. Curiously, she wanted to know what day the Rebbe had made this inquiry.

“Sunday,” I said.

Her eyes widened. “Now I know why the Rebbe waited until Sunday. This past Sunday was Angela’s birthday!”

A Professor's Challenges - a Fascinating Yechidus With the Rebbe

Rebbe, How is reward and punishment, Gan Eden and Gehonim to be interpreted? How do I conquer my fear whenever I enter the classroom and contemplate the responsibility of teaching G-d’s Torah? The Avner Institute presents insightful religious instruction to a New York college professor during a private audience in the winter of 1962.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a unique photo of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson, circa winter 1934 in a suburb of Poland, with special thanks to the Levin family.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Religious Instruction

QUESTION: How is reward and punishment, Gan Eden and Gehonim to be interpreted?

THE REBBE: Just as one must use a material knife to cut bread, so also if one is walking on Broadway, he must summon physical thoughts in order to divert the evil inclination. At such a time, philosophical expositions of Gan Eden or seventh heaven would have less influence on the yetzer horah than would thoughts of Gehonim or a story with a moral. To successfully combat one’s corporeal desires, he must apply thoughts that fit his mood at the time. If one has an urge to eat a non-kosher steak, for example, an abstract discussion of religion will not spoil his appetite. He must reflect that this animal ate grass, and that fertilizer was on the grass, and similar reason to deter his lust. The same applies to other impulses—murder, theft, concupiscence, etc.—one must gear his reasoning to bringing about the undesirability of these actions, according to his own level.

Therefore, the Torah discusses reward and punishment, according to a material, and not a spiritual, aspect—you will live longer, you will have a good field, etc. The Torah is for everybody, even for lower mentalities. The greatest tzadik was at one time only a thirteen-year-old, when particularly these physical considerations are effective in restraining him from straying from the path of G-d.

The Torah was G-d’s blueprint for the Creation. We observe that the Creation consists of many levels; consequently, we must conclude that its blueprint, the Torah, also contains many degrees of explanation. For instance, “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth” has its literal meaning. A deeper interpretation is that G-d created heavenly, lofty emotions and earthly, carnal passions in the human heart. A more profound concept is that G-d created two components of the soul—one is sublime and spiritual, the other is the earthly intellect. Similarly, when the Torah speaks of the reward of long life, its first meaning is the plain one—ain mikro yotzay miday peshuto. But it also includes another meaning: Whether a person is materialistic or philosophic, proper behavior will be rewarded with a keener understanding of the world around him. Thus, every minute of his life will be “long” in the sense that it will be utilized in a more worthwhile and intelligent manner.

Similarly, all the material rewards and punishments of the Torah can be interpreted profoundly as well as simply.

QUESTION: I find that, as I enter the classroom, I am overcome with feelings of dread and trepidation as I contemplate the great responsibility of teaching G-d’s Torah. What can I do about this?

THE REBBE: The primary axiom of Judaism is that a Perfect Being created and creates everything according to His definite system and design. Nothing happens by accident; thus, for every problem there is a solution. Unequivocal cognizance of this fact vitiates despair and frustration, as G-d has given everyone the ability to complete his tasks.

On the contrary, these feelings of dread and anxiety were also created for a good purpose—to arouse one to summon all his physical and intellectual capabilities in order to arrive at a correct solution. The one who is calm and indifferent in facing his responsibilities will often be satisfied with practically any conclusion.

Moreover, these misgivings and awe are often an indication that one is progressing to a higher level. When one ascends a flight of stairs, there is always a moment when his foot is suspended in air without solid support. However, afterwards comes an inner satisfaction from the knowledge that one has elevated himself. Others may “sleep on one step” for 120 years, experiencing neither apprehension nor the “inner harmony” that comes with a feeling of accomplishment.

QUESTION: How should one begin in instructing his students, with just performance of the mitzvoth, or should he talk about hislahavus (enthusiastic ecstasy) as well?

THE REBBE: You must choose the approach that fits the individual you are dealing with. If hislahavus will appeal to him, choose that method. But one must be cognizant of the fact that the essential is “ma-aseh be-poel,” the actual performance of mitzvoth, and it is wise to begin with the essential so that if your talk becomes soporiferous in the middle, your audience will at least go away with an essential.

QUESTION: Is quality more important than quantity?

THE REBBE: Einstein said that quantity transfers into quality, mass into energy. The Midrash Rabba cites an interesting point: If even one Jew of the 600,000 had been missing at Mt. Sinai, G-d would not have given the Torah. Not just a Jew like Moshe Rabeinu, but even the Jew who had an idol in his tent, pesel mika, had he not been present, the Torah would not have been given. Nine Moses’ cannot make a minyan to say a kedusha, though that would be a tremendous amount of quality; but if you have ten in quantity, you can say kedusha, just as the Midrash Rabba stated that 600,000 was necessary for the Revelation. This indicates that quantity and quality are transformative.

A Visit to The Rebbetzin

This Thursday, 22 Shevat, marks the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson (1901-1988) of righteous memory, wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Avner Institute would like to present a charming excerpt from late British businessman Zalman Jaffe, who for years came every Shavuot to Crown Heights with his wife Roselyn, children, and grandchildren to share an especially close relationship with the Rebbe and Rebbetzin. At the Rebbe’s request Mr. Jaffe faithfully recorded these visits, which were published annually in a diary My Encounters with the Rebbe and enjoyed by Chabad readers.

On this Shavuot 5740 (1980), he is again accompanied by his wife, as well as his son Avrohom, daughter-in-law Susan, and their children. To learn more about Mr. Jaffe’s diaries visit www. Myencounter.com.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present two newly released photos from a Farbrengen on 6 Tishrei 5732 (1971), with special thanks to the Minkowitz family.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

Once again, it was our great privilege and joy to be received by our gracious Rebbetzin at her home. Roselyn and I were accompanied by Susan and Avrohom and family.

The Rebbetzin looked very lovely, kah. As Leah remarked, she was surprised to see that our Rebbetzin looked so young, kah, and she added, "She looked majestic and yet elegant."

I asked Leah for her definition of "elegant."

Leah answered, "She holds her cup so posh!"

Our friend Chessed Halberstam was assisting our Rebbetzin and brought in the tea. He also produced a magnificent cake which his wife had baked especially for this occasion. It was basically a chocolate and cream cake, but it had so many additions that I was not sure whether to make the brocha mezonas, as for cake, or she’hakol, which covers almost everything besides bread, wine and fruits and vegetables. Avrohom ruled that since it was called cake, we should make the mezonas.

In addition, the children were given a special treat of strawberries, cherries and ice cream with pineapple. I then called upon Leah to have the first turn in our afternoon concert program. Leah rose and sung "Min Hameitzar" -- but she first waited for Chessed to leave the room. Such modesty! The Rebbetzin rather liked that.

Next was Levi. He extracted a Chumash from his pocket – he had brought it especially for the occasion. I sat back ready to listen to some words of Torah. He did not let me down – except that he sang the words of Torah.

His bar mitzvah was due in about six months time, so he was layenning his sedra [reading his Torah portion] for the Rebbetzin’s pleasure. He carried on until shaini, which is the first official stop when the sedra is read on Shabbos. I had been a little apprehensive, since I thought he was going to layen the entire sedra!

The Rebbetzin exclaimed that it was marvelous, umberuffen – she had a good laugh. She never anticipated hearing layenning in her own home, on a weekday.

Chanah sang very nicely indeed. Shmuel was too embarrassed to do anything, whilst Golda, very shyly, just sat and looked pretty.

The Rebbetzin remarked that Golda had a lovely wonderful personality. Since Golda did not sing, nor even speak, the Rebbetzin was obviously a prophetess. Golda did, however, roll her eyes and smile a little hesitatingly. Aaron sang the Rebbe's latest niggun [melody] and gave a good exhibition of his prowess.

The Rebbetzin had pointed out to us the flowers we had sent to her before Yom Tov. She was particularly pleased with those which the children had chosen. She was particularly delighted with the card which accompanied the roses. The Rebbetzin remarked that the flowers would ultimately fade away, but she would always keep the card – it would be a permanent reminder of the children.
The Rebbetzin politely but firmly questioned whether Aaron had actually signed the card himself. As I have stated, he was only 4½ years old. Aaron would not allow his ethics to be questioned. To prove his point, he obtained a pen and to the surprise and delight of the Rebbetzin, wrote his name on a piece of paper.

We had a large pile of photographs which had been taken at the Manchester Lag B'Omer parade and outing. The Rebbetzin went through them all and to our immense satisfaction chose a few of them to keep for herself and to show her “husband” (the Rebbe).

We also told the Rebbetzin that Shmuel Lew had also been here for Yom Tov, but had returned home that very day. The Rebbetzin confirmed that the Rebbe had told her of this fact!

After spending a most interesting and enjoyable hour and a half, Avrohom, Susan and the children reluctantly had to leave. Roselyn and I stayed for a further half an hour. The Rebbetzin, always the perfect hostess and lady, accompanied us to the door and bade us farewell.

It is very difficult to be a Rebbe. It is even more difficult to be the Rebbe's wife. All day on Shabbos, the Rebbe was at 770, from 9 a.m.: davenning, farbrengen, mincha, maariv, culminating with kiddush levanah at 9:45 p.m. But the Rebbe then returned to his study at 770 and actually did not leave for home, and to the Rebbetzin, until well after eleven o'clock in the evening. This is a long day for the Rebbe - and even longer for his Rebbetzin.

Later, Binyamin Klein informed us that the Rebbetzin had been very happy to receive us and enjoyed our visit with her. She would like to see us once again before we left; if possible.

This was really splendid and tremendous good news. The first invitation might be – could be considered – a duty call. But a second invitation expressed quite clearly that she enjoyed our company.

Following the second visit, on our way home, Leah remarked that “the Rebbetzin looked so sweet, I wanted to kiss her."

"Then why didn’t you?” I exclaimed.

“Yes," Leah replied, "now I am sorry that I didn’t.”

How to Deal with a Rebellious Child - a Moving Yechidus

How to deal with kids rebelling. What language to teach -- Yiddish vs. English? How to cope with high anxiety. Just some of the problems schools face today. The Avner Institute presents two fascinating audiences in 1961 (5721) and 1965 (5725) with Rev. Aron Dov Sufrin, of blessed memory, who for nearly 40 years had served as Director of Education of Lubavitch Foundation, London UK, and who, after leaving the Rebbe’s room, took down notes of the timeless advice on today’s youth and education. With special thanks to Rabbi Yisroel Boruch Sufrin for making his late father’s personal notes available, and to Rabbi Chanoch Sufrin, Rev. Aron Dov’s grandson.

The Rebbe Archive would like to present a photo of the Rebbe, Purim 1971 (5731), entering 770 with visiting president of Israel, Zalman Shazar.

Good Shabbos
Menachem

From the notes of Rev. Aron Dov Sufrin following his private audience with the Rebbe :

Issue:

Since work in Jewish education takes up so much time, (personal) Torah learning is affected and minimized, and tends to become lethargic.

The Rebbe’s Response:

The fact that work in Beis Lubavitch (London UK) leaves little time for learning should be looked at from a different perspective. This work is considered “worthy” and falls under the category of a mitzvah. (One good deed leads to another.) In addition, the work also aids in achieving taharas hamoach vehalev, purity of heart and soul. This in turn helps the learning process. Therefore, the actual time spent learning, even though it may be small due to communal work, is lo lephee erech (not comparable) to the time one spends learning when not involved in communal work.

Issue:

What attitude should be taken when a person had successfully influenced a child in a positive direction and the child subsequently reverted back to his original ways?
The Rebbe’s Response:
If one has hatzlacha (success) with a child, one must not close the door. One must always be mekarev (bring closer) the child, as there may be many reasons for his estrangement.

-Yechidus, 28 Tishrei 5721



Issue:

Most of the children in our school (The school referred to is Lubavitch House School in London UK) speak English at home. However in each class there are at least half the parents who would like their children to be taught in Yiddish, and one child has left because of this. There are one or two others who may leave because we do not teach in Yiddish. On the other hand, there are one or two who may take their children away to other schools if we do start teaching the children in Yiddish, and it will also deter parents of the English and German type from sending their children to us. Yet there is a possibility that if we would go over to teaching in Yiddish, a small percentage of frummer children may join our school. Under the present system we have adopted we are introducing Yiddish into each class (as the Rebbe Shlita may have noticed from the curriculum I handed in), but there is still dissatisfaction amongst some of the parents. We therefore wish to know what our policy should be for running the school to teach in Yiddish or English.

The Rebbe’s Response:

Tell the parents who want everything taught in Yiddish that they most probably also want their children to grow up to be shomrei Torah umitzvos, Torah observant Jews. If their children will be taught in Yiddish, which is a strange language to them, they may develop distaste to everything they learn. This will affect them in the future development of their personal Yiddishkeit (Judaism). It is appropriate to speak to them in Yiddish during their playtime, recess, breaks, or when telling them a story as this will help expand their familiarity with the language; however, not when teaching them formal Yiddishkeit subjects.

Issue:

The nervous strain and stress with tension that comes from working at Lubavitch House and in Jewish education.

The Rebbe’s Response:

Why should there be nervous strain and stress from the worries of this position? The worries are not on the person's shoulders; they belong to Hashem. They are His worries! He has given the person a chelek (share) in what is a tremendous zechus (merit) that is really a tremendous zechus for the person himself. Halevie (if only) others would also have the same zechus!

Issue:

To what extent should school curriculum be determined by the feelings and whims of parents? The school usually follows the curriculum issued by Merkos, but how much of it should be adapted according to the local situation, including parent needs and demands?

The Rebbe’s Response:

The Merkos curriculum is prepared for the United States. It should be adapted or revised to suit local conditions. It should take into account children's needs and their inclinations, etc.

Issue:

(Note: The following issue is worded exactly as written by Rev. A. D. Sufrin, and is a copy of the exact language he handed in to the Rebbe upon entering for his yechidus. The Tzach Minyan referred to was the Lubavitch House Youth Minyan in Stamford Hill, London, UK. The Talmud Torah refers to the after-school Judaic program run at the Lubavitch House. The School, Tzach Minyan, and the Talmud Torah were all run under the direction of Rev. A. D. Sufrin in his capacity as Director of Education and shliach (emissary) as well as member of the hanhallah (board) of the Lubavitch House in the United Kingdom.)

Issue:

On Friday evenings between mincha and maariv (afternoon and evening prayers), I usually give a shiur (lecture) on Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Jewish law) to the younger members of the Tzach Minyan. However, as most of the boys learn dinim (laws) in the Talmud Torah and some of the others learn at other times, I have been wondering whether it would perhaps be an idea to learn chassidus instead . . . if so, what type of chassidus to choose for this purpose, as their knowledge is not good in this subject.

The Rebbe’s Response:

Continue to learn with them dinim and then include chassidus. A possible model to use is fifteen minutes of dinim as a shiur in lecture format. Then tell them to do chazarah (review). This should then be followed by fifteen minutes of chassidus. It is advisable to begin with excerpts from Likkutei Dibburim (Memoirs of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe).

-Yechidus, 20 Adar Sheni 5725