DO NOT FORGET US

The story you are about to read was told by the Chassid, Rabbi Asher Sasonkin z”l, the son of the gaon and Chassid, Rabbi Shemaryahu Nachum Sasonkin zt”l who was the rav of Batum in Georgia and at the end of his life, mashpia in Yerushalayim.

R’ Asher had a good friend who went through hard times in Soviet Russia. He suffered from persecution and surveillance on the part of the KGB, the secret police. Leaving his home always entailed nervousness about what would be. Every step he made was known to those who shadowed him.

He and his wife had no children although they had been married many years. They prayed a great deal and shed rivers of tears, perhaps Hashem would have pity on them.

After many difficulties, the couple was finally allowed to leave Russia. After that, R’ Asher lost contact with his friend and knew nothing about what he was up to. From time to time, R’ Asher felt a great longing for his good friend, but he had no way of finding out about him.

Decades passed without any connection between them.

Many years later, R’ Asher was also allowed to leave Russia. He moved to Eretz Yisroel and from there, he went to see the Rebbe. Upon arriving in Crown Heights, the two friends met! It is hard to describe their great joy, after so many years of separation when they did not know what had become of the other. They spent hours together, enjoying one another’s company. R’ Asher’s friend told him:

“Asher, my dear friend, I am happy to invite you to attend a family simcha that is happening in two weeks.”

R’ Asher was surprised by this invitation since he knew that for many years the couple did not have children. But his friend was now telling him that his son would be bar mitzva.

“Your son? Your son is becoming bar mitzva?”

“Yes! We are soon going to be celebrating the bar mitzva of our son!”

The friend knew why R’ Asher was so surprised, because all the years he knew him, he did not have children. He told R’ Asher what had occurred since they last met. He told him what happened since he left Russia, how he and his wife had gone to top doctors who were unable to help them. Then, fourteen years earlier, they decided to have yechidus with the Rebbe and tell him that they decided to adopt a boy since many years had passed without their having children of their own.

The Rebbe listened and asked, “Why adopt? You need to raise your own child! But do not forget us.”

Hearing this, the couple was stunned. They had only hoped to receive a bracha and words of encouragement. They had not dreamed the Rebbe would give them what amounted to a promise that they would have their own child.

However, they did not understand the last thing the Rebbe said. What did the Rebbe mean by saying they should not forget him?

The friend said, “I had an idea. At the next farbrengen, when the Rebbe gave out kos shel bracha, I would go over and ask him to clarify his instruction from the yechidus.

“And that’s what I did. At the end of the next holiday, in Tishrei, when the Rebbe distributed kos shel bracha, I joined the line and repeated to the Rebbe what he said to me about having a son but added that I did not understand what he meant about ‘not forgetting us.’

“‘Very simple,’ said the Rebbe with a smile. ‘Name the baby for my father-in-law, the Rebbe!’

“I was very happy that what the Rebbe said to me in yechidus was clarified, but the great joy was soon gone when I remembered that my father-in-law’s name is Yitzchok! I was very concerned about what could happen with him when the Rebbe said to name the baby Yitzchok.

“Once again, I was in a turmoil and did not know what to do. I decided that in order to spare myself more months of worry, I would go back for kos shel bracha and ask the Rebbe for an explanation.

“I went back on line and when I reached the Rebbe again, I said, “Rebbe, my father-in-law’s name is Yitzchok!”

“The Rebbe said, ‘Then give the baby his first name.’”

***

When he finished telling his interesting story, he got up and said to his friend R’ Asher, “This is my son Yosef who was born thirteen years ago, after the blessing and promise of the Rebbe, and who will be bar mitzva in two weeks.”