Leadership Quality
To his Chassidim, the Rebbe was more than a guide or advisor – he was a human being endowed with superhuman strength to involve himself in every aspect of their lives. The Avner Institute presents a series of two fond memories from Rabbi Binyomin Mintz of the Rebbe’s quick ability to take the helm after his saintly father-in-law’s passing and inspire mass respect among the latter’s devoted followers.
Dedicated in memory of loving memory of Hadassah Lebovic A”h
“Head and shoulders”
On Yud [10] Shvat 5710 [1950], Rabbi Binyamin Mintz of Crown Heights was a young yeshiva student. He shares his memories and recalls what few remember today: the final years of the Previous Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn – also known as the Rebbe Rayatz — and the day of his passing. To Rabbi Mintz and many others, it was quite clear who would fill the void.
We bachurim, yeshiva students, knew that if something happened to the Rebbe Rayatz, his son-in-law the current Rebbe would succeed him.
I remember once, while eating at a family the Kestenbaums’, hearing their discussion over what would happen after the Rebbe Rayatz’s 120 years. I said, “Nothing will happen, because he’ll be the Rebbe until Moshiach comes.”
But they still wondered – what if?
I answered, “Then the younger son-in-law will be the Rebbe.”
I sensed this, even when the Rayatz’s son-in-law went about his way in a very low-key manner. I once had a problem with my foot, which caused me to shuffle. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, as he was simply known, ran into me and asked how my foot was. Even several weeks later, when he saw him at a farbrengen, he asked him about my foot.
He was very unassuming, like an ordinary person. But we could all see that he was superior to all.
Throughout the year after the Rebbe Rayatz’s passing, minyanim were held in his room and his two sons-in-law, Rabbi Gurary and Rabbi Schneerson, said Kaddish. The former davened in the first minyan at nine, and Rabbi Schneerson davened in the second minyan that began at ten.
Gravesite Service
I’ll never forget Lag B’Omer of that year.
Rabbi Schneerson said that he wanted to go to his father-in-law’s gravesite together with a minyan. Since we did not have a regular yeshiva schedule that day, I decided to go along.
When we arrived at the Ohel, Rabbi Schneerson placed himself at the foot of the grave, facing the gravestone, while the rest of us stood around him. Each of us recited the Maaneh Lashon, the special collection of prayers for a departed Rebbe, and when we finished, we went out and waited for Rabbi Schneerson outside the cemetery, near the bus. After the son-in-law finished his service, he came out.
Rabbi Shlomo Aharon Kazarnovsky, Rabbi Yisroel Jacobson, and some other older Chassidim arrived. Rabbi Kazarnovsky showed Rabbi Schneerson their plans for a stone wall around the grave. Initially, they thought the inner stone wall would be a little larger than the grave.
When Rabbi Schneerson saw the plan he asked, “Why is so little space left?”
They answered, “We wanted the space to be as small as possible in order to give people room to stand.”
To their surprise, Rabbi Schneerson declared, “And who said that the Rebbe [Rayatz] is here?” He pointed at the grave. “Maybe the Rebbe is here, more to the left?”
Flabbergasted, they did as the Rebbe said. The inner wall was constructed more to the northern side.
As I said, this was on Lag B’Omer, just three months after the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz, and long before our current Rebbe accepted the leadership. Even then, the older Chassidim felt utterly subservient to the Rebbe, for they knew that the Rebbe was head and shoulders above them all.
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