Far-Reaching
. . . . No individual, however, proficient he is in Torah and mitzvoth, and however educated he is, isolates himself from others, from whom he can learn a better and deeper understanding of Torah, at any rate, in those areas where he has not yet attained the highest level. This is the function of a Rebbe, a teacher and instructor who have in their sphere of learning devoted more time and attained a higher level of knowledge, etc.
The Rebbe
This Thursday marks Gimmel (3) Tammuz, 29th yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory. Tireless and fearless leader, the Rebbe raised Chabad from the postwar ashes of Nazi and Communist Europe to its global prominence today. The Avner Institute presents a series of letters and anecdotes highlighting the Rebbe’s lifelong role as adviser, comforter, seer, and scholar to thousands who came to his office at 770 Eastern Parkway for blessing and guidance.
Dedicated in memory of loving memory of Hadassah Lebovic A”h
How do I come Closer to You?
By the Grace of G-d
Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5741
Brooklyn, NY
C.R.
Oak Park, MI 48237
Blessing and Greeting:
Your letter reached me with considerable delay. As requested, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart’s desires for good.
With regard to the matter of hiskashrus [connection] and closeness, and the like, we have it on the authority of my father-in-law of saintly memory, who had occasion to answer similar questions, that the best way for Jews to get closer and be really united and unified is by learning the same Torah (including the daily conduct in accordance with the Torah). This is also the answer to your question.
As for your other question, how to leave the yetzer hora [evil inclination] behind, our Sages have already taught us that while G-d created the yetzer hora, He also created the Torah through which to temper and overcome it. Thus, the most effective way to overcoming the yetzer hora is not to enter into any debate and discussion, but to devote all free time to Yiddishkeit, including broadening and deepening one’s knowledge of it, and above all, to conduct the daily if in accordance with the mitzvoth, inasmuch as “action is the essential thing.”
At this time, with the approach of Shavuos, the Festival of Mattan Torah, I send you prayerful wishes for a joyous and inspiring Yom Tov, and to receive the Torah with joy and inwardness. May the joy and inspiration of this great Yom Tov be with you throughout every day of the year.
With blessing,
[signature]
Why Do I Need a Rebbe?
By the Grace of G-d
12 Nissan 5739
Brooklyn, NY
Mr. Pesach Lazaroff
626 S. Division
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Greeting and Blessing:
This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 9th of Adar, which reached me with considerable delay. May G-d grant the fulfillment of your heart’s desires for good.
As in all good things, there is the assurance of yogato u’motzso [tried and succeeded].
If you will let me know also your mother’s Hebrew name, as is customary, I will remember you in prayer when visiting the holy resting place of my father-in-law of saintly memory.
With reference to your writing, “I do not ‘hold’ by a Rebbe now. My allegiance is to the ‘Yiddishkeit’ with which I grew up,” etc.—of course, what is expected of you, as of every Jew, is that the daily life and conduct should be in accordance with the Torah, Toras Chaim, and this is the very essence of Yiddishkeit.
However, inasmuch, as the Torah is described as “longer than the earth and wider than the sea,” it is normal that no individual, however, proficient he is in Torah and mitzvoth, and however educated he is, isolates himself from others, from whom he can learn a better and deeper understanding of Torah, at any rate, in those areas where he has not yet attained the highest level. This is the function of a Rebbe, a teacher and instructor who have in their sphere of learning devoted more time and attained a higher level of knowledge, etc.
Wishing you a Kosher and inspiring Pesach.
With blessing,
[signature]
“You are Not on Your Own”
November 24, 1948
Mr. Joseph Baer
New York, NY
My Dear Mr. Baer:
I want to thank you for your recent letter and for your efforts in creating a new circle of friends for the activities of the Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch. The technical details are being taken care of by the office.
I wish to refer to your letter in which you describe the road as rough and difficult, more so than you envisioned, but that nevertheless you will keep on trying.
As I wrote to you in my last letter, “all beginnings are difficult.” But I am sure that these very difficulties, far from discouraging you, will arouse the latent forces in your good self to overcome them and to go from strength to strength.
The main strength for this task you will draw from the conviction that you are not on your own in this great work, but an agent and channel through which a great purpose is being materialized under the inspiration of our great and dynamic, the Lubavitcher Rebbe [Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn].
The fact is that often one cannot see at once the influence he is exercising, but nevertheless, the seed he plants takes root and brings far-reaching results.
In this light it will be easier to understand a seemingly difficult commentary by our Sages in connection with Eliezer’s mission, of which we read in this week’s sedrah [Torah portion]. Upon meeting Rebecca at the well for the first time and before knowing that she was the chosen one, Eliezer presented her with “two armbands, weighing ten golden shekels.” According to our Sages, the gift was symbolic of the Two Tablets with the Ten Commandments!
Although the Ten Commandments were given to Israel some four hundred year later, Abraham, as a prophet, knew of the future destiny of his people (a tradition nurtured until it was fulfilled). In the spirit of this knowledge, all his actions were directed.
His trusted servant Eliezer, when on his master’s mission, indicated to Rebecca—although a stranger at the moment—by mere “hint,” yet it eventually helped to win her over completely.
Wishing you again every success and confident of it, since according to our Sages, “a person bent on a good deed receives Divine assistance.”
I am very sincerely yours,
Rabbi Mendel Schneerson
Chairman, Executive Committee
“The day is not far off”
From the notes of Rabbi Chananya Yosef Eisenbach, a”h, Rosh Yeshiva of Tomchei T’mimim, B’nei Brak
When Rabbi Ezriel Miller, who headed the Histadrus HaRabbanim, visited Russia back in Soviet days, he stopped in Leningrad (now S. Petersburg). Within one of the spacious rooms of the majestic Grand Choral Synagogue, he noticed many Torah scrolls, both whole and in fragments.
The sight was heartbreaking. “Perhaps I could use my connections to rescue these scrolls and send them to the free world,” he thought. They could be properly restored to physical and spiritual glory in houses full of worshippers.
Upon his return to Crown Heights, he reported to the Rebbe the dismal sight in Leningrad.
“I ask for the Rebbe’s consent to transfer the scrolls to other communities,” he concluded. “They would certainly be used and appreciated.”
To his surprise, the Rebbe shook his head.
“The day is not far off,” the Rebbe announced, “when these Torah scrolls will be used by the Jews of Russia, and the Iron Curtain will finally be opened.”
“Matter of life and death”
From an article “Rabban shel Yisroel” by Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin:
Back in the 1950s, the wife of Rabbi Yechiel Michel Charlop, head of a prominent community in New York, became gravely ill. After a few days in the hospital, her doctors approached her husband with the grim news: she needed an operation.
When Rabbi Charlop approached the Rebbe with a request for a blessing, the Rebbe replied, “I am familiar with this illness. According to my opinion, she should not have the operation.”
When Rabbi Charlop informed the doctors of the Rebbe’s response, they laughed. “In the next room is a man with the exact same illness. We performed an operation, and in about a week he will go home healthy.”
They added, “And lest you think he’s just an average Joe, you should know that President Eisenhower inquires about him every day.”
Rabbi Charlop explained to Rabbi Zevin, “I really can’t give you a reason. But a ‘higher power’ told me not to operate.”
He leaned back and continued, “Not a week went by, and the man that Eisenhower asked about died, and my wife is, Baruch Hashem, fine.”
In his article, Rabbi Zevin concluded, “Do you think my intention is to write about a miracle of the Rebbe? That’s not my custom. In general, the Chabad elders don’t tell miracle stories. I intend only to note one incident out of many in which we see the respect that a person who is not a Lubavitcher has for the Rebbe, to the point of listening to him in a matter of life and death.”
“Change of Place”
A prominent Jewish man in Mexico City had to move to a larger apartment. Unable to find anything suitable, he decided to build a home. His wife, who was the niece of Torah scholar Rabbi Shloyme Eli Ushpal, agreed, but only on condition that he obtain the Rebbe’s consent and blessing.
The man arranged for a yechidus, private audience. After hearing the man’s request, the Rebbe answered, “I see no need to build a house.”
The man stammered, “But Rebbe, the real estate in Mexico City is quite difficult—especially in the Jewish neighborhood. I spent months searching for a change of place.”
The Rebbe shook his head. “I see no reason for it all.” He bade the man good-bye with a blessing, but without consent.
Highly dissatisfied, the man left the Rebbe’s office. Nevertheless, he had no choice but to forego his plan. He returned to Mexico to continue his search for a suitable dwelling.
Because of his prominence, this man customarily made the rounds every Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, to raise money for the local yeshiva. The first Rosh Chodesh after his yechidus, while leaving the house of one of the wealthy donors, he suddenly heard a voice.
“Excuse me.”
Standing there was the donor. “Do you know of anyone who wants to buy an apartment?”
“Why?” the man asked, in surprise.
“I have to leave the city, and I’d like a fellow Jew to have it,” the donor answered.
Smiling, the man said, “As a matter of fact, I myself am in need of a home.” Then he beamed. “But I never dreamed of an apartment like yours.”
Within an hour, the two men agreed on the sale of the apartment, and on very reasonable terms.
“I must carry the burden myself”
It was Thursday evening, Parshas Vayikra 5727 [1967]. Community elders and leaders—Rabbis Shmuel Leivitin, Berel Rivkin, Nissan Telushkin, Yisroel Jacobson, Eliyahu Simpson, and S.Z. Duchman–crowded around the Rebbe, begging him to take care of his health.
“The Rebbe goes to the Ohel much too often,” they complained. “It is very cold out there, especially this time of year.”
The Rebbe sharply retorted, “Without my going, it’s impossible! I must carry the burden myself!”
He stared at his followers. “You yourself say that we need a Rebbe. As for the Ohel being cold, you can ask Rabbi Zalman Duchman, who also goes to the Ohel often, and he will also tell you the same.”
“It is nothing”
When Rebbetzin Slavin, sister of rabbis of the Diskin family, fell seriously ill and received a grim diagnosis, she went to the Rebbe for a blessing.
“It is nothing,” the Rebbe answered.
The rebbetzin gasped. “What do you mean? The doctors took x-rays and told me it was serious!”
“It is nothing,” the Rebbe repeated.
When the rebbetzin continued to express her concerns, the Rebbe rose from his chair. “In Eretz Yisroel how do they say it? ‘Efsher hert ihr oif tzu nudjen’—perhaps you will stop nudging?”
He nodded in confirmation. “I told you that you are not sick. Go in peace.”
The rebbetzin lived another 23 years.
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