Beis Moshiach is pleased to present a compilation of stories and thoughts from the book Mi’Shivchei HaRebbi by R’ Mordechai Menashe Laufer.
THE ATMOSPHERE OF TISHREI 5727 BEGAN ON CHAF AV
The Chaf Av 5726/1966 farbrengen was unusual. Shabbos Parshas Eikev, Chaf Av, seemed to actually be the start of the month of Tishrei, physically as well as spiritually. Physically – because of the large crowd who came especially for the yahrtzait of R’ Levi Yitzchok, the Rebbe’s father. The Rebbe davened for the amud and the crowding was reminiscent of Tishrei.
At Maftir there was crying, the likes of which there hadn’t been since Rosh HaShana, during the t’kios. As soon as the Rebbe began the Haftarah, he burst into tears, especially at the pasuk, “Why did I come and there was no man; I called and nobody responded?”
These two things were reminiscent of Tishrei.
Spiritually – at the end of the farbrengen, the Rebbe said a short sicha about Chaf Av being forty days before Rosh HaShana and the forty days before the formation of a fetus. After this sicha, the Rebbe asked for the niggunim “Tzama lecha nafshi,” “Avinu Malkeinu,” “Hu Elokeinu,” and “Shamil.”
After this farbrengen, one could already feel the Tishrei atmosphere.
ALL JEWS ARE RIGHTEOUS
An excerpt from a letter that a bachur wrote on Erev Rosh HaShana 5730/1969:
“You surely heard about what happened on the third day of Slichos. The Rebbe cried a lot when he said the maamer and said that all Jews are tzaddikim, because every day of the year every Jew has thoughts of t’shuva, and by thinking thoughts of t’shuva, they become completely righteous and even a baal t’shuva etc. In the middle, he stopped for a few moments and you could see on his face how he was making a great effort to refrain from crying.”
WHEN THE REBBE STOPPED FARBRENGING IN THE SUKKA
On 13 Tishrei 5731/1970, R’ Meir Harlig wrote to his friends around the world:
“On Motzaei Yom Kippur 5731, the Rebbe told R’ Chadakov that there wouldn’t be a farbrengen on the second day of Sukkos, on Shabbos Chol HaMoed, or on Simchas Torah.
“The next day, after Mincha, members of the Vaad HaMesader and some guests waited at the door and spoke to the Rebbe about this. The Rebbe replied that in general there was no order, and especially in the sukka, and therefore he would not farbreng at all.
“The Rebbe said this very loud. He also explained why he wouldn’t farbreng on Simchas Torah day, since it was before Shabbos and many halachic questions arise concerning this.”
THE TIME OF GEULA WILL BE PRECIOUS
At one of the holiday meals at the Rebbe’s table during Tishrei 5730, there was talk about the delight Above which is generated by the avoda of iskafia (resisting one’s natural impulses) during galus.
The Rebbe’s reaction was: It is indeed very precious and delightful, but the time of Geula is incomparably more delightful.
AT THE KING’S TABLE
This is how one of the guests from Eretz Yisroel described the meals during Tishrei 5713/1952 with the Rebbe in the Rebbe Rayatz’s apartment:
“I was invited for Rosh HaShana and Motzaei Yom Kippur, to eat together with the Rebbe by the old Rebbetzin (Nechama Dina). On one side were the Rebbe, R’ Shmuel Levitin, R’ Avrohom Sender Nemtzov, and R’ Shmuel Dovid Raichik. On the other side were Rashag, R’ Moshe Dovber Rivkin, myself, R’ Menachem Mendel Cunin, and R’ Chanoch Hendel Lieberman. At the end of the table were two bachurim who served.
“The Rebbe Rayatz’s place at the head of the table was vacant. There were challos, a cup for wine, a knife, spoon and fork at his place at the table.
“During Sukkos, Shmini Atzeres, and Simchas Torah, I was invited again by the old Rebbetzin to eat with her in the Rebbe’s presence. My place was next to Rashag and the Rebbe sat opposite me. Next to him was R’ Shmuel Levitin.”
A SPECIAL FEELING OF CONNECTION TO A REBBE
On the first day of Sukkos 5730, the talk turned to the topic of not sleeping in the sukka (among other things, the Rebbe said that it is known that the Rebbeim did not see that they should be particular about this custom; and not because of the cold, for there were times that it was possible to heat the sukka). The Rebbe then mentioned the Gemara (Sukka 32b) about Rav Acha, the student of Rav Kahana, who was particular about taking a myrtle with the leaves lined up “two and one,” since the ruling that it was permissible to do so came from the mouth of Rav Kahana.
He did this because of his great feeling of hiskashrus (inner bonding) towards his teacher. The Gemara doesn’t tell us this about every one of the great men of the Amoraic period, but only about Rav Acha the son of Rava, because one needs a special hergesh (sensitivity/feeling) for this and only he had it.
ACCEPTING THE YOKE OF TORAH
The Judge Chaim Cohen, who served as a member of the Israeli delegation to a United Nations meeting, visited the Rebbe the night of Simchas Torah 5736.
When he was given the honor of carrying the first Torah of the second hakafa, he was given a large, heavy Torah. The Rebbe, who saw that it was too heavy for him, asked someone to bring him a smaller Torah. When they tried taking the larger Torah from Mr. Cohen, he refused (apparently, he thought that they just wanted to take it from him without replacing it). The Rebbe, who was watching, said with a smile: Nu, if he wants to accept the “yoke of Torah,” let him.
NIGGUNIM FROM ERETZ YISROEL
R’ Tuvia Blau related:
The Rebbe would sometimes ask someone (with singing ability) who came from Eretz Yisroel to sing a niggun from Eretz Yisroel. For example, “Hoshia es Amecha” is a niggun that was sung by Nadvorna Chassidim and R’ Avrohom Lider brought it to 770. And there are other examples.
I would like to tell about a niggun that is sung in Yerushalayim to the words “Ozer Dalim Hoshia Na,” which is actually an old Yerushalmi-Sefardi niggun. On Simchas Torah 5719/1958, R’ Yona Greenwald was asked to sing “M’Zimras HaAretz” (a play on words that refers to a song) and he sang this niggun. But the Rebbe dismissed it and said, “It is not suitable for here.” Then he sang “Eimasai K’asai Mar” and the Rebbe accepted it enthusiastically.
In 5723/1962 (when I went to the Rebbe for the first time), R’ Avrohom Lider was asked to sing, and he sang “Ozer Dalim” (he obviously did not know what happened with R’ Yona Greenwald) and the Rebbe dismissed it with a surprised shrug of his shoulders. R’ Avrohom said, “They sing it on Simchas Torah in all the shuls in Yerushalayim!” The Rebbe responded, “Over there, perhaps it is after the birur.”
Then R’ Lider sang “Ashrei HaAm Sh’Kacha Lo.”
The reason for the dismissal of “Ozer Dalim” is apparently because Zionist youth (before the communist revolution in Russia) sang this tune to Bialak’s words “Bein Porat L’Chidekel,” and it was a sort of anthem.
The niggun “Eimasai” is an old Yerushalmi (Chassidic) niggun to the words, “Mosai, mosai, mosai Yibaneh HaMikdash.” R’ Shmuel Elozor Halperin and R’ Eliezer Perlstein married, one after the other, on the two days of Rosh Chodesh Elul 5718/1957, in Yeshivas Toras Emes in Yerushalayim. The crowd (led by R’ Tzvi Eisenbach), after singing the Yerushalmi niggun, began fitting the words “Eimasai K’asai Mar” to the tune, as it is sung today. R’ Yona Greenwald brought this to the Rebbe who accepted it at the farbrengen.
KOL MEVASER THREE TIMES ON SIMCHAS TORAH
At the end of the Simchas Torah night farbrengen 5726/1965 (which began at 7:30 and ended at 12:30), R’ Zalman Duchman was going to announce how the hakafos would be held. The Rebbe told him to say, “Sha shtiler” (be quiet), which he did. The Rebbe told him to say it three times, which he did. The Rebbe told him to announce, “Kol Mevaser, Mevaser V’Omer” three times, which he did, and the Rebbe smiled a bit.
The next day, at the farbrengen, which was conducted in elevated spirits (the Rebbe removed the limitations on drinking mashke for that farbrengen), the Rebbe asked that “Kol Mevaser” be announced three times.
A TIME TO WHISTLE, A TIME TO BE QUIET
During the distribution of Kos Shel Bracha after the Simchas Torah farbrengen of 5730, the Rebbe called for R’ Berel Zaltzman (who had recently come out of Russia) and told him to sing niggunim in Russian and teach them to the crowd, so that on Shabbos Mevarchim they would be able to sing them at the farbrengen.
Then the Rebbe told him to whistle and they whistled several times. Then the Rebbe said they should bring him someone who knows how to whistle loudly and he said: You should whistle because now is the time to whistle about all the decrees.
They whistled loudly and then they stopped. The Rebbe motioned that they should continue whistling. He said that it was an opportunity to whistle that was worth seizing.
Then the Rebbe asked that they announce that whistling was just for that time but afterward, they shouldn’t whistle, even for matters of k’dusha, because it was (the klipa of) Plishtim within k’dusha.
WHY THE REBBE DELAYED COMING OUT FOR MAARIV
The night of Yud Shvat 5724/1964 coincided with Shabbos. The crowd eagerly anticipated the Rebbe’s entering the beis midrash, as it was his practice to daven for the amud on this day.
Before Maariv, R’ Chadakov came in and said, on the Rebbe’s behalf: If there was nothing to do until Maariv, they could do t’shuva for being lenient when it came to responding amen yihei shmei rabba and boruch hu u’varuch shemo. The tikkun is that those who stand near the chazan should answer loudly.
If it is hard for them, because they are in “higher worlds,” then simple people, whose minds are not confused, should stand there and they can respond.
All this, he went on to say, applied not only on a day that the Rebbe davened as the shliach tzibbur like on this Shabbos, Yud Shevat, but the rest of the year too.
DAVENING VERSUS LEARNING
R’ Leibel Groner once asked the Rebbe: When learning Pirkei Avos, is it permissible to say Hashem’s name when reading the verses that are quoted?
The Rebbe answered, no, just say “Hashem,” because these are incomplete verses.
R’ Groner asked: If so, why is it that in “K’gavna” in Kabbalas Shabbos do we say, “Raza d’Hashem Echad U’shemo Echad” with Hashem’s name when it is half a verse?
The Rebbe said: In “K’gavna” it is part of the t’filla and so there is no reason not to say Hashem’s name, but in Pirkei Avos it is part of one’s learning.
WHEN THE REBBE ACCEPTED A GIFT
The Rebbe usually refrained from accepting gifts and would quote Mishlei, “one who hates gifts will live.” But there were exceptions to the rule.
When the Rebbe visited the talmidim at the first Pesach seder in 5732/1972, which took place in the U’faratzta hall [currently serving as the Kollel], R’ Dovid Raskin told the Rebbe that the carpet laid on the steps going up to the hall was bought by the talmidim especially for the Rebbe.
The Rebbe responded, “That is as it should be!”
Dr. Mordechai Kirschblum wrote in his book Mikol Melamdai Hiskalti:
In the twelve years before I made aliya, I was a member of the Jewish Agency, in the American division, as the head of the aliya and absorption department and the Torah education department. This appointment enabled me, even required me, to visit Eretz Yisroel several times a year in order to attend meetings.
At one of these joint meetings between the Israeli and American administrations of the worldwide Zionist movement, which was headed by Mr. Zalman Shazar, I had to leave in the middle in order to answer an urgent phone call. In the corridor three distinguished looking Lubavitchers were waiting for the meeting to end, so they could discuss an important matter with their very eminent friend, the Chabad Chassid, Mr. Shazar. I shook their hands and greeted them.
The threesome wanted to know where I was coming from. When they heard that I was from the United States, they wanted to know which city. It wasn’t enough for them when I said New York, and they didn’t let up until I specified Brooklyn. Their obvious question, asked in a confident tone, was, “If you are from Brooklyn, then when did you last see the Rebbe?”
I felt that if I told them the truth, that I had never been to the Rebbe, they would be offended, and so I said, “It has been some time now that I’ve merited seeing the Rebbe.”
The leader of the three, who was nicknamed “Yona Oseh (one who does) Mitzvos” (Eidelkop), exclaimed, “Listen here, my friend. As soon as you return home, visit the Rebbe, for he is the source of health and parnasa and the source of blessing that will give you success in everything you do.”
Since, at that time, I had need of a significant improvement in my health, I resolved to follow up on what he said. The next morning, Mr. Shazar appeared at my hotel. He gave me a large, brown envelope containing many pages of highly classified documents. He said, “I brought a detailed report that I prepared for the Lubavitcher Rebbe about my visit to Russia. I left it in an open envelope so that you can read it too. I have one request: that when you go to New York, make your way to the Rebbe as soon as possible and personally give it to him. Don’t send it in the mail and don’t send it with a messenger. Give it to him yourself.”
I took the envelope and told my friend Shazar everything that happened the day before with the Chabad delegation, and I added, “It seems that from Heaven they are signaling to me that the time has come for me to visit the Rebbe, and that is what I will do. What I promised, I will fulfill!”
As soon as I arrived home, I called the Rebbe’s office and I was told by his secretary that the Rebbe did not receive people in Elul. In “misnagdic” indifference, I explained that as far as I was concerned I could wait, but my promise to Shazar was pressing on me. I even asked that for health reasons, I should be given an appointment at a reasonable time and not in the middle of the night. In the end, I got what I wanted and R’ Chadakov even agreed to my special condition. Nevertheless, it was emphasized that I was given only 15 minutes since the entire thing was out of the ordinary.
I was in the Rebbe’s room. The evening was warm and my head was feverish. The Rebbe received me graciously in a way that was heartwarming. The first thing I said was: “I know that you can ask me the famous question ‘Where have you been until now.’ There is an answer to this difficult question, but let us leave it for the end.”
The Rebbe invited me to sit down and said, “I imagine that you usually take off your hat and you sit while wearing a yarmulke, especially on a warm night like this, and so – please do as you are accustomed and make yourself comfortable.”
The simple chesed, which was vital for me, impressed me tremendously. As far as I was concerned, the Rebbe had already won me over as a great and special man who understood people, even regarding their physical needs. We spoke for a long time about all sorts of important matters. The Rebbe amazed me with his incredible knowledge of matters big and small taking place in our Land.
When I left the Rebbe’s room, a group of students who were sitting and learning greeted me and wanted to know what I had received from the Rebbe. I was surprised and I said, “My young friends, you are constantly in the Rebbe’s presence, and for me it was the first visit of my life. You need my information?!”
They did not hesitate for even a moment; the youngest of the group, who later joined the secretariat, R’ Leibel Groner, smiled and with impressive sharpness said, “You know what Chazal say (B’Reishis Rabba VaYechi 94): Just as these fish are raised in water, and when a single drop falls from above they greet it thirstily as if they had never in their lives tasted the taste of water …” [so are Israel raised in water, in Torah, and when they hear a new idea from the Torah they greet it thirstily as if they had never in their lives heard a Torah idea, which is why the Chassidim wanted to hear a report about this visit with the Rebbe].