By COLlive reporter
In honor of the 13th Yartzeit of the legendary Mashpia and Kabbalist Reb Volf Greenglass obm, a book about his life and teachings will be published in English for the first time.
The original book in Hebrew, compiled by Reb Volf’s son in law Montreal Shliach Rabbi Dovid Cohen, contains many of Reb Volf’s farbrengen stories, Minhagim, and teachings.
After many years of hard work, a team of dedicated editors translated the book of Rabbi Greenglass into English. This English translation will allow the English-speaking public to learn and savor the wisdom and dedication of this unique chassidishe personality of our generation.
Rabbi Greenglass personified the ideal of a true chassid. He was a Mashpia in Montreal for over 60 years to 3 generations of Chassidim, leaving life-changing lessons to his students. The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe once wrote him a letter with the title “my son,” and signed it, “the one who loves him.”
Rabbi Menachem Zev Greenglass (halevi) was originally born to a non-Chabad family in the Polish town of Krasnik, near Lublin, and was sent to learn in the Chabad Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim in Lodge and Otwock where he acquired his vast knowledge in Torah, Kabbalah and Chassidus.
After fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe to Shanghai, China, Rabbi Greenglass traveled from there to Montreal, Canada, as one of the 9 shluchim sent by the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, to cultivate the Jewish community.
Their first achievement was establishing the Rabbinical College of Canada, also known as Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim. Thousands of students from nonobservant families got the taste and love for Judaism in the school. they became the many Torah observant grandparents of today’s frum community.
Rabbi Greenglass, or Reb Volf, was soon appointed as the Head Mashpia and spent many years teaching and inspiring thousands of Lubavitch students who went on to become shluchim, community leaders, and chassidishe yungeleit and professionals around the world.
He was known to say, “You should never ‘put down’ (criticize) a student, you should ‘elevate’ him, and show him his unlimited positive potentials.”
Together with his longtime friend Rabbi Leibel Groner obm, who served as the Rebbe’s secretary, he made the first attempt to document Chabad customs in the monumental book “Sefer Haminhagim.”
In Montreal, he was always referred to by members of the Jewish community as a Tzaddik and a Malach (a righteous man and an angel). The Rebbe once called him “my Mekubal (Kabbalist).”
The book can be pre-purchased online at REBVOLF.COM or at your local Hebrew book store in the near future.
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