By Nechama Bar
It was Erev Shabbos a few weeks ago. The Freiman family packed their things and left their house in Kfar Chabad and got on a bus traveling to Yerushalayim. In Yerushalayim, in the Holyland neighborhood, there is a Chabad House run by the mother’s brother. That Shabbos, the Freiman couple was asked to take the shluchim’s place so the shluchim could go to Kfar Chabad to their parents.
Shabbos in the holy city was beautiful. Many guests visited the Chabad House. The davening had a lot of spirited singing. Before and after the davening were shiurim in Chassidus and there were also friendly conversations on Chassidic topics, conversations that turned into lively farbrengens.
In the women’s section too, the women enjoyed shiurim in Chassidus and the niggunim from the men’s section.
Toward the end of Shabbos, when R’ Freiman went to daven Maariv in a shul in the Bayit V’Gan neighborhood, a woman named Chani was sitting on a bench and learning a sicha. Other women came and Chani said a few words to them about Chabad Chassidus. For some reason, the conversation was not about Moshiach and Geula and Chani felt she missed an opportunity. When she finally decided to talk about this important subject, the women got up and headed for home. An opportunity was lost.
“What a pity,” Chani thought. “There were women sitting next to me, we talked, but I did not tell them enough about the Rebbe, about his being Moshiach, that he is chai v’kayam and a navi. I didn’t tell them about the Igros Kodesh. It’s not right of me to keep this treasure to myself.”
She decided that the next woman she would speak to would hear about it. A few minutes later, a frum though not Lubavitcher woman came and sat down near her. Chani was happy about the opportunity to publicize the information about the Goel and the Geula. She started talking enthusiastically about the Rebbe.
“There is a navi and he is not limited by the limitations of nature,” she said.
She explained about the Rebbe being Moshiach and about being able to write to him through the Igros Kodesh. Chani chose one Igros Kodesh story to share with the woman. This is the story Chani told:
This was at the Chabad House in Melbourne, Australia, run by the shliach, R’ Dudu Lieder. A diamond dealer walked in to the Chabad House in tears. The shliach saw he was in distress and said, “What happened? Why are you upset? Come, have a drink of water. Can I help you with something?”
The man wiped his tears and said, “I am married for six years already and we don’t have children. We have gone from doctor to doctor but nobody gives us any help. They all say it’s impossible. When hair grows on the palm of my hand, they say, you’ll have children. Just like hair on a palm is not possible, so too, our having children is impossible. I am not willing to make peace with this. I want children! I want to be a father!” The man began crying again.
The shliach calmed him down and said, “There is a Rebbe! Come, write to the Rebbe and with Hashem’s help you will see miracles.”
The man liked the idea and felt hopeful again. He put money in the pushka, washed his hands, and sat down to write to the Rebbe. Then he put the letter into a volume of Igros Kodesh.
The shliach glanced at the page he opened to and two words stood out, “P’nimius Abba,” which is a lofty concept in Kabbala.
“Look, you got a clear answer. P’nimius – Abba. P’nimius refers to p’nimius ha’Torah, the inner part of Torah, which is Chassidus. If you learn p’nimius ha’Torah, you will be an Abba! Will you come here every Thursday to the Tanya class?”
The man promised to try and attend the Thursday classes.
A few weeks went by and the diamond dealer showed up again in tears.
“What happened?” asked the shliach.
“I want children! I want to be a father! I can’t bear this anymore!”
“What about the shiur?”
“I haven’t gone even once. I had business trips and couldn’t make it to the shiur,” he apologized.
The shliach suggested that he write to the Rebbe again. To his amazement, the Rebbe’s answer was, “I already wrote to you about learning Chassidus, and then everything will work out.”
Seeing this, the man committed to attending the Chassidus class no matter what. Even if it meant canceling a business opportunity.
Less than a year later, on Yud Shevat, a baby boy was born! He was named Chaim.
The bris was such a joyous occasion. The miracle story had gotten around and many people went to the Chabad House and wanted to write to the Rebbe too.
Chani finished her story and looked at the other woman sitting there on the bench. She thought for a while and then said, “You know, I don’t have children either. I am married for many years and still don’t have children.” She had a hopeful look in her eyes.
Chani marveled at the hashgacha pratis in which story she chose to tell. There are so many miracle stories she could have told.
“Come, you also write to the Rebbe and with Hashem’s help you too will have good news to share.”
Chani took her telephone number in order to learn Chassidus with her on the phone. We hope and believe that this woman will also have her dream come true.