Berel Futersfas and Abraham Shemtov, two young students in their late teens, were traveling from their homes in London to Brooklyn, New York, to spend the Jewish holidays with the Rebbe.
They would be begin their travels on the 16th of September, 1953, just three days before Yom Kippur, considered one of the holiest days of the year, which would mean that they would be on the “Queen Mary,” for the solemn holy day.
They reported to the Rebbe their travel plans and headed off on the ship. On the eve of Yom Kippur they received a telegram via Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Queen Marry, which began with a blessing to be inscribed and sealed for a good New Year.
Yet, the students were taken aback when the Rebbe added that the blessing is for your “neighbors” on the ship, instructing them:
“…And you should explain to those that are traveling with you, by Divine individual providence – for all of your benefit – to make an effort to return to G-d, regret any past transgressions and acceptance of the good in the future. And G-d should grant you all success. Menachem Schneerson.”
They followed the Rebbe’s directives and on Yom Kippur gathered the Jewish passengers, organized prayer services, read in the Torah scroll and explained to them the meaning of the day, as the Rebbe instructed them.
One of the passengers stood up and said, “no one is thinking about us besides for one rabbi in Brooklyn that cares about a Jew who is traveling on a ship on Yom Kippur.”
This past week, Rabbi Shemtov marked the anniversary of receiving the telegram in a chassidic farbrengen gathering at the Lubavitcher Center which he runs in Philadelphia, where he spoke of the Rebbe’s boundless care for every Jew.
the 1st word of line 3 is “Bihisamtzus” with a BEIS at the begining.
In Line 2 you wrote boraas and should be becharotas
Hopefully we will all see the Hisgalus of our Rebbe MH”M bekorov Mamash.
Nachman S.
budy you have afew spelling mistakes
The Hebrew is Rabbi Shemtov handwriting. He wrote for his own record. The transliterated Hebrew is the original telegram.
חתימה וגמר חתימה טובהלהם ולשכניהם הנוסעים ו ויסבירו להם שההשגחה פרטית נמצאים יחד לתועלת לכולם התאמצות בתשובה להשם יתברך בוראת העבר וקבלה טובה להבא. והשם יתברך יצליח כולכם. מנחם שניאורסון
Simply beautiful !
Thank you for sharing
can someone type in the hebrew text on the telegram, and perhaps explain to the generation that has no idea about telegrams, who’s handwriting it is and how it got there.