By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic ArchivesVolf Greenglass was working in a textile factory when he decided to enroll in the Lubavitch Yeshivah in Otwock, Poland.
Born in Lodz in 1917, he had grown up in a home permeated with the love of Jewish learning—he described how his father, a property manager, would carve out time to review the weekly Torah reading with his son, often revealing novel insights in the process.
Sadly, his parents, followers of the Alexander Chassidic dynasty, were so poor that Volf had to forgo a yeshivah education to help them earn a livelihood.
Volf longed to continue his Torah studies and constantly sought opportunities to learn. In this way he met Rabbi Zalman Schneersohn, who organized classes and Chassidic gatherings in his home in Lodz. Volf was captivated by the Chabad approach to divine service, particularly the many hours Rabbi Schneerson would spend in prayer each day, and his new mentor encouraged him to apply to the yeshivah in Otwock.
Volf doubted whether the yeshivah would accept him, because of he was already a working man, but a Chabad acquaintance told him not to worry: First go there, he said. Then they will test you, will see your capabilities to study and surely accept you.
He went and arrived in the small resort town one evening without having arranged a place to stay. As he stood in the study hall, one of the students approached and asked if he had a bed. Hearing that he didn’t, the student brought him to a room, and, pointing to a bed, said that he could sleep there.
Volf, who was exhausted from his trip, lay down and immediately fell into a deep sleep. He awoke in the middle of the night to find the student who had showed him the bed sitting on the corner of the mattress and reciting the Shema prayer said before retiring. The young man prayed with such concentration that the brief prayer lasted for hours.
In the morning, Volf learned that the student was Yosef Wineberg. The bed was his, and he had given it up for the comfort of a stranger.
Rabbi Volf Greenglass and Rabbi Yosef Wineberg later merited to be among the legendary group of nine Shluchim the Frierdiker Rebbe sent to Montreal, Canada, in 1942, to build the Chabad community and Yeshiva.
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For the record: Rabbi Greenglas FIRST meeting with Lubavitch was when he saw the famous Ohev Yisroel and Chisid Rabbi Moshe Elleh Gerlitzky davening with such fervor, that he waited till he was done davening and asked him what Yeshiva are you in? and then said Inam joining you. That was his FIRST meeting with Lubavitch, the rest is history!
Both rabbi greenglass and rabbi weinberg were very special people. Wish we had more like them today. So much has been lost.
This story is about my Zaidy, Rabbi Yosef Wineberg, and is completely typical of him. Both the davening and the concern for another yid. How lucky we were to grow up in the presence of these great chassidim. Thank you for sharing
BS”D if is website is done, Rabbi Mangel lived with Rabbi Greenglass so probably knows many stories, one that comes to mind is when the Rebbe disputed the time of birth given by the Doctor of one of Rabbi Greenglasses children-guess who was correct
At a farbreingen in yeshivah in Montreal he said over the story how he was inspired to come to lubavitch and it was Moshe Eliyahu Gerlitzky who was davening that inspired him to come to lubavitch and it’s most probably on video some where also would be a good idea to make a website volf greenglass .com and share all his recordings many nice story’s he said over
beautiful