682 beis moshiach · 2013. 1. 21. · beis moshiach issue 682 5 (rashi explains that the sins of...

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:M.M. Hendel

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contents

GHETTO ISRAEL Shleimus HaAretz | Raanan Isseroff38

UNITED FOR SHLEIMOS HA’ARETZPerspective | Aliza Karp35

PURIM: THE EQUALIZER Moshiach & Geula | Boruch Merkur24

A TRUE FRIEND Obituary | Shneur Zalman Berger26

R’ EFRAIM LERER A”H Obituary33

FOLLOWING THE REBBE, WHEREVERHE LEADS Shlichus | Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz

20

UNMISTAKABLY REBBEFarbrengen | Rabbi Chaim Ashkenazi15

HEALING BROKEN SPIRITSProfile | Nosson Avrohom6

BUILDING THE TEMPLED’var Malchus4

SEEING IS BELIEVINGMiracle Story | Nosson Avrohom12

682:Beis Moshiach 02/02/2009 8:47 AM Page 3

12 Shvat 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH4

This week’s Torah reading records the Song of Mosheand the children of Israel after the splitting of the sea andtheir miraculous deliverance. The passage through theYam Suf – the Sea of Reeds – and the drowning of theEgyptians was the final stage of the Exodus, enabling theJewish people to proceed freely and directly to Sinai andthe Revelation of the Torah. Thus the Song sung byMoshe and the Children of Israel celebrates theculmination of the Exodus – the first Redemption. Assuch, it also contains allusions to the future, to the timesof Moshiach and the final Redemption.

In fact, one verse refers directly to the building of theTemple: “You bring them in and plant them in themountain of Your inheritance, the place which You havemade for Your dwelling, O L-rd. The Sanctuary, O L-rd,

which Your hands have established.” There are three different opinions

as to which Sanctuary the end of theverse refers. Does the “TheSanctuary, O L-rd, which Yourhands have established” refer to theFirst and Second Temples – built bytzaddikim, acting as G-d’s agents, asit were, or does it refer to the ThirdTemple, built by G-d Himself andwaiting for the Redemption, when itwill descend upon Jerusalem?

According to the Mechilta, arabbinic commentary on Exodus, thephrase “The Sanctuary, O L-rd,which Your hands have established”refers to the future Sanctuary, whichwill be built – or rather, revealed –long after the destruction of the firsttwo Temples. The Mechilta sees thefirst part of the verse, “You bringthem in and plant them in themountain of Your inheritance,”referring to the times of the first twoTemples, while the second part, “TheSanctuary, O L-rd, which Yourhands have established,” refers to thetimes of Moshiach and themiraculous establishment of theThird Temple.

According to the Talmud, theverse in question refers to oneperiod, which includes entrance intoand conquest of the land followed bythe building of the Temple. Thus,there is a two-stage process. First,the Jewish people enter the land ofIsrael and conquer it, as foretold inthe first part of the verse: “You bring

them in and plant them in the mountain of Yourinheritance.” Then the Temple is built through the effortsof the tzaddikim, whose actions are called the actions ofG-d: “The Sanctuary, O L-rd, which Your hands haveestablished.”

According to Rashi, the verse refers to the Temple theJewish people expected G-d to build once they enteredthe land of Israel. In a sense Rashi combines the othertwo opinions: Rashi agrees with the Talmud that the verseindicates an immediate construction of the Temple,directly following the entrance into and conquest of theland of Israel. Rashi also agrees with the Mechilta thatthe Temple will be built by G-d Himself, without theintermediary efforts of human beings, the tzaddikim.

In the Song of the Sea we find areference to the building of the Temple.The Mechilta, the Talmud and Rashidiffer as to which Temple the end of theverse refers. The differences derivefrom how each approaches the Torah’sstyle: what does a parallel phrase add?The Song speaks of the future, when“The L-rd will rule forever,” during theperiod of Redemption. For this reason,it also alludes to the Third Temple,when all the inhabitants of the worldwill recognize G-d’s Kingship.

BUILDINGTHE TEMPLE Translated and adapted by Dovid Yisroel Ber Kaufmann

d’var ma lchus


BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 682 5

(Rashi explains that the sins of the people delayed theDivinely constructed Temple. Hence, the first twoTemples, built by human hands, could be and weredestroyed.)

These three approaches depend on threemethodologies or approaches to the language of Biblicalpoetics. According to one school of thought, the doublingof phrases and use of parallel expressions are rhetoricaldevices, enhancing the beauty of the proverbs, poems,parables and songs. However, on the level of drash –deriving legal and ethical lessons from a passage – eachphrase or concept indicates a separate topic. Each needsto be explained in and of itself, as a completely new idea.

Rashi offers a third alternative, an intermediarybetween and combination of both approaches: therhetorical devices, such as doubling or parallelexpressions, do not introduce an innovation, but they arethere to add a new dimension to the topic underdiscussion.

Our verse contains two parallel phrases: “the placewhich You have made for Your dwelling, O L-rd” and“the Sanctuary, O L-rd, which Your hands haveestablished.” The Mechilta, operating on the level ofdrash, derives a new idea from each phrase. Therefore,the second one, “the Sanctuary, O L-rd, which Yourhands have established,” must refer to a new Sanctuary,that is, the Third Temple. Hence, the verse is divided intotwo – one phrase for the two Temples that precede theera of Moshiach, one phrase for the Temple that is builtduring the era of Moshiach.

According to the Talmud, the verse refers to theconstruction of the Temple through the tzaddikim and thedoubling of the language simply beautifies the metaphor.

Rashi’s explanation follows the Talmud, that theTemple was to be built when the Jews entered the land ofIsrael. But, the rhetorical doubling adds a new dimensionto the construction. Not only will G-d build the Templeabove, in a spiritual sense – “the place which You havemade for Your dwelling, O L-rd” – He will also actuallybuild it here below in a physical sense, with His own twoHands, so to speak: “the Sanctuary, O L-rd, which Yourhands have established.” The Temple will be Divinelyconstructed, not a human fabrication. Delayed by thepeople’s sins, this will become an accomplished reality inthe era of Moshiach.

Why is the Temple mentioned in a Song praising G-dfor splitting the sea and destroying the Egyptians? Asindicated by the next verse, “The L-rd will rule forever,”the Song does not just acknowledge the wonders andmiracles at the splitting of the sea, but also – and mainly– offers praise for the process of revealing G-d’s rule andmastery. The completion of the first Redemption – andthe revelation of G-d’s Kingship – took place with the

fulfillment of the commandment to “Make Me aSanctuary” – the building of the Temple.

This also explains why the Temple will be built with“Your hands” – both hands, indicating G-d will give theconstruction of the Temple His complete and undividedattention, so to speak. The world, which was created withjust one Hand, as it were, does not recognize its truenature, its inner G-dliness. But the Divine Presence wasopenly revealed in the Temple.

Since the verse “The L-rd will rule forever” cannotapply to the first two Temples, which were destroyed,both Rashi and the Mechilta understand the phrase “theSanctuary, O L-rd, which Your hands have established,”as referring to the future Temple, when G-d’s Kingshipwill be fully revealed. But the Mechilta and Rashiemphasize two different aspects of the process ofrevelation. The Mechilta sees the Redemption from Egypt– and the Song – as inclusive of all the Redemptions.Accordingly, there are interruptions, so to speak, untilthe Final Redemption. To reveal G-d’s Kingship, theopposition must be eliminated. All that opposes G-dlinessmust be destroyed. Then, “the His Kingship will berecognized forever.”

According to Rashi, however, the wonders andmiracles at the splitting of the sea and theRedemption from Egypt already brought about theRevelation of G-d’s Kingship. The completion of thisprocess will occur when the Jewish people arecompletely and securely in the land of Israel and theTemple, built with both G-d’s hands, firmlyestablished. Then, “all Sovereignty is His.” While theMechilta emphasizes the destruction of that whichopposes G-dliness, Rashi emphasizes a recognition by“all the inhabitants of the world” and an acceptance ofG-d’s Kingship. This leads to the day when the wholeworld will call upon the name of G-d, when “On thatday, the L-rd will be One and His Name One.”

(Based on Likkutei Sichos 31, pp. 77-84)



prof i le

It’s hard to believe that so muchgood comes out of such a smalloffice. Directing the activities,which help thousands of Jews inabout 120 hospitals in BuenosAires, is Rabbi Moshe Blumenfeld,a young Lubavitcher with aninteresting background.

“Leoded” (to encourage) is thename of R’ Blumenfeld’sorganization, and he couldn’t havepicked a more apt word to describethe work which gives so muchmoral support to those in despair.His efforts are divided into twoparts. One is the support of Jewishpatients hospitalized in variousfacilities, ensuring that they arebeing cared for properly. The otherentails seeking out the elderly orthose who are alone in hospices orpsychiatric hospitals, ensuring theyare not being abused or neglected,and upgrading their level of care inevery possible way.

As R’ Blumenfeld’s work

expanded, he saw he couldn’tpossibly do it alone and found twoshluchim to help him out – R’Pinchas Fisher and R’ MosheShusterman. Together, they haveturned this organization into abyword among the Jews ofArgentina, who know where to turnwhen they have a medical problem.Even the non-Jews know aboutthem and are amazed by thevolunteer service and mutual aidthat Jews provide for one another.

The organization also has closeto fifty volunteers, most of themdoctors in various hospitals, whobecame acquainted with their workand want to help out.

R’ Blumenfeld experiences hisgreatest joy when he discoversformer patients at Chabad Housesthroughout Argentina and sees howhis organization’s work has helpedset them on their feet and becomeactive participants in Torah classes,prayer services, and the like.

“His biggest success,” said oneof the shluchim in Argentina, “ishis perpetual smile. Nobody canturn him down. He goes intohospitals and the security guardsknow him and think he’s part ofthe medical staff. He goeswherever he wants without havingto get approved first. Theadministrations of hospitals thinktwice before they mistreat Jewishpatients or do experiments onthem without their consent. Theyknow good and well that Jewshave someone looking out forthem.”

Patients who recovered frommental illness and were releasedfrom the hospital are monitored byR’ Blumenfeld so they don’trelapse, because without thatattention they are likely to regress.He has these former patients joinchesed organizations run byChabad houses in Buenos Aires,sometimes at token salaries. Hisgoal is to keep them productivelyoccupied so they don’t sit at homeand deteriorate.

R’ Blumenfeld is thrilled whenhe meets people who haverecovered and gone on to startfamilies and return to normal life.

STUDY JUDAISM TO GETOUT OF THE ARMY

Where did this perpetuallyyoung, energetic Chassid with theindomitable can-do attitude come

He is free to come and go in alldepartments of the hospitals in BuenosAires. The doctors respect him and theJewish patients wait for him. He is asource of hope for hundreds of lonelyJews and he brings the Rebbe and hisgreat light to their sickbeds.

HEALING BROKENSPIRITSBy Nosson Avrohom



from?“I was born in Buenos Aires.

My mother emigrated to Argentinawith her family from Izmir, Turkey,and my father is a Holocaustsurvivor who came from Warsaw.In my childhood, I knew I wasJewish but knew nothing aboutwhat that signified. My gentilefriends constantly reminded methat I was Jewish.

“I don’t remember ever evenfasting on Yom Kippur or eating afish head on Rosh HaShana, thingswhich so many people do evenwhen they are not religious. Likeevery boy in Argentina in thosedays, what interested me wassoccer. I was a fan of one of theteams and I put most of my timeand energy into that. I playedsoccer for hours and my goal wasto become an outstanding player inone of the leagues. My parentsdidn’t let sports interfere with mystudies and at some point I realizedthat I would not be an athlete.

“At age 18 I finished school andwas at a crossroads in my life.Questions about who I wasbothered me. Many of the otherJewish youth in my neighborhoodjoined a Jewish movement that hadstarted. They didn’t study Judaismand the only thing they stood forwas that we Jews should be united.Indirectly, the movement helpedmany young people my age marryJews who they met within themovement.

“I remember often sitting withmy friends and discussing basicquestions like what is Judaism?What makes us different than non-Jews? We wanted to know.

“I didn’t understand why I feltan emptiness come over me timeand again. I would try to push thefeeling away whenever it came overme, but it was only a temporaryrespite.

“One year, out of nowhere, Idecided to fast on Yom Kippur. My

parents never treated the day inany special way but the newspapershad written about it, noting thatit’s a special day for Jews who fast.I spent the day at home, from oneevening to the next. I didn’t knowwhen the fast began and ended. Ijust didn’t eat.

“At age 19 we had to go to thearmy and like my peers, I went tothe draft office. I was assigned tothe navy, which sent me for basictraining to Porto Belgrano, in thesouth of the country. It’s aforsaken place which is cold mostof the year. I was the only Jew inthe unit and it was the first time in

my life that I felt alone. Theintensive training without enoughsleep and without friends in themiddle of nowhere was horrible. Iremembered hearing that Jews havea G-d and they are called Hischildren, and if they pray to Him,He listens.

“That was the first I prayed. Ididn’t know how, but still Ipromised G-d that I would be abetter person if He got mycommander to release me, even

though that didn’t make any sense.How amazed I was the next daywhen I was called to thecommander’s office and told I hadfour days vacation. I was the onlyone who got permission to leave inthe middle of training camp for ahome visit. I was convinced G-dhad heard my prayer.

“After four days I returned tothe base, but the great feeling ofhaving been back home made medetermined to get released from thearmy. One day I found out thatwhoever studied religion wasexempt from serving in the army. Iwondered where I could studyJudaism so I could get out. In anycase, I thought it was a good ideafor me to explore my roots.

“Training ended and my unitwas sent to one of the naval bases.I knew that those who serve in thenavy travel far and wide and aresent to the most difficult areas.Some people are even sent toAntarctica. For the second time inmy life, I prayed to G-d, this timethat I would be assigned a placeclose to home.

“They put us on a train withoutinforming us of our destination. Ifelt that if G-d had heard myprayer the first time, there was noreason why He wouldn’t hear meagain. I was a Jew, and as they toldme, I was a child of G-d. I fastedthat day because to me, fasting andprayer went together. For 24hours, I didn’t eat or drink.

“G-d answered my prayeragain. After a few hours of travel Ilearned that I was assigned to servein Buenos Aires, an hour awayfrom home, and my parents wouldbe able to come and visit me everyweek.

“After serving for severalmonths at the navy base in BuenosAires, I decided I wanted to get outof the army altogether and studyJudaism. I asked my parents to findme a place to learn which could

Rabbi Moshe Blumenfeld witha Jewish baby in the military hospital

in Argentina



give me the necessary papers. Theyfound the Chabad yeshiva run byRabbi Dovber Plotka, now theshliach in Flores, Argentina. Theyalso introduced me to a shliach bythe name of Rabbi MordechaiBierman, who ran the Chabadhouse in my neighborhood. Theypromised to provide me withpapers provided that I startattending yeshiva.

“At the yeshiva I saw, for thefirst time, Jews wearing hats andjackets, beards and peios. Despitethe conduct of the bachurim, theascetic lifestyle and the fact thatthey learned most of the day, I feltattracted to it all, but didn’t likethe idea of losing my freedom. Iremember telling my parents that Iprefer being a soldier one moreyear than being a soldier the rest ofmy life.

“After a year, in which Ifinished my army service, questionsreturned to plague me – why am Ihere and what is my purpose in theworld? Going to university andstudying economics andcommunications didn’t take awaythe feeling of emptiness.”

CLEAR SIGN FROM G-DOne evening, when Blumenfeld

finished classes, he deliberatelytook the bus that let him off tenstops from home and not the onethat let him off in front of hishouse. He was preoccupied withquestions about identity that gavehim no rest, especially after gettinga taste of authentic Judaism inyeshiva. The walk would give himopportunity to think.

He could picture the T’mimimin yeshiva, bent over their Gemarasand sifrei Chassidus. Vaguely, heremembered that he had heard

something about the Rebbe butdidn’t quite understand it. Heremembered his first Shabbos mealin the home of one of theLubavitchers. Everybody wasrelaxed, singing moving niggunim,and saying things that soundedwise to him. For the umpteenthtime he wondered whether heshould have checked into it further.He spent the long walk from thebus stop to his home on thesethoughts.

“That’s when I prayed my thirdprayer. I implored Hashem, “Yougive me no rest as far as myidentity is concerned but I don’tknow what path to take. Why is itthat all the people around me aredoing what they want withoutfeeling empty, while I can find nopeace?

“As I walked and asked Hashemfor a sign, I saw Rabbi MordechaiBierman heading towards me,wearing a sirtuk and smiling fromear to ear. I couldn’t have gotten aclearer sign. In my neighborhood Inever saw religious Jews. Threetimes I had asked G-d forsomething, and three times Heanswered my prayers.

“I greeted R’ Bierman and said,‘I want you to teach me Judaism.’The request came from my heart. Ifelt I could not go on living the lifeI was living. He remembered me

A MEDICAL CONFERENCE THAT CAUSEDA KIDDUSH HASHEM

“We’ve held a few medical conferences,” says Rabbi Blumenfeld.“One year, our guest of honor was the shliach to Argentina, Rabbi TzviGreenblatt. He spoke to 200 doctors about medicine from theperspective of the Rebbe. The conference took place in an exclusivehotel in the downtown area, and made a big impact on the medicalcommunity. It made a Kiddush Shem Lubavitch and gave nachas to theRebbe.

“Not long ago we opened another department, in conjunction withshlucha, Mrs. Miriam Tziffer, to help patients within the Chabadcommunity which is growing in Argentina.”

Rabbi Pinchas Fisher visits a Jewish patient



from the time I had asked to beexempt from the army and hesuggested that I accompany him toshul.

“This time, I was much morereceptive. I quickly found joy andwarmth within Judaism andChassidus, and the inner meaningthat had been eluding me all thistime. I spent days and nightslearning to fill the void.

“I decided to drop my universitystudies and, in a move thatshocked my parents and friends, Ibegan learning in the yeshiva inBuenos Aires. I was so happy therethat I barely slept, trying to makeup for the Hebrew and otherfundamentals that I had missed.The concept of ‘Rebbe’ and ‘NasiHaDor’ penetrated into myneshama.

“I once was traveling by busand some Misnagdim asked mewhat I was learning. I told themthat I just learned in a sicha fromthe Rebbe that the world stands onthree things. They recoiled andcalled me a heretic. ‘The Mishna inAvos says that,’ they corrected me,but I ignored them. To me, theRebbe encompassed everything.

“What drew me so strongly tothe Rebbe was learning that he wasnot only proficient in all aspects ofTorah but also gave advice in awide array of subjects: medicine,

military, politics, business. Thisamazed me.

“Back in 5751-5752, I becameaware of the Rebbe’s sichos aboutGeula. I was dumbfounded, excitedand moved by the Rebbe’s talksabout Moshiach and theredemption. Later on I understoodtheir significance more deeply. Youcan say that I’m a baal t’shuva ofthe sichos of D’var Malchus. I livewith those sichos today.

“For Rosh HaShana, 5753, Iwent to 770 for the first time. OnSukkos I saw the Rebbe come outon the porch. The Rebbe sat theremajestically and I recited theSheHechiyanu blessing. I wasflying high. After that Tishrei Iwent to learn in the Chabadyeshiva in Tzfas. The simcha andahavas Yisroel, together with theintensive learning of Nigleh andChassidus, moved me another stepfurther.

“Most of the Chassidus anddarkei ha’Chassidus I got from theRosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Y.Y.Wilschansky and the Mashpia,Rabbi Moshe Orenstein. That yearin yeshiva I lived and breathed theRebbe around the clock. We wereupdated every time the Rebbe wentout on the porch and encouragedthe singing of Yechi. Mivtzaimrevolved around kabbalas p’neiMoshiach, and the anticipation of

the hisgalus was palpable andserious.

“After two years wonderfulyears in Tzfas, I returned toArgentina and married. My wifeand I wanted to go on shlichus.Back then, Rabbi Gavriel Stoneoperated in Buenos Aires. Hefounded the organization thatconcentrated, at first, on providingspiritual assistance to sick people.At his urging, I began working inthis field tentatively, and with nosmall number of concerns.”

MATERIAL SHLICHUSAND SPIRITUAL

SHLICHUSR’ Blumenfeld started this work

in 5760, focusing on providingspiritual aid to Jewish patients likeputting t’fillin on with them andbikur cholim. That year, R’ Stonebought a building for his Chabadhouse, and he asked R’ Blumenfeldto take over the work at thehospitals. Apprehensively, heagreed. He has since developed the

That was the firstprayer I ever said.I didn’t know howto pray, but Ipromised G-d thatI would be abetter person ifHe got mycommander torelease me.

Rabbi Blumenfeld on a radioprogram to spread the BesurasHaGeula and to encourage Jews.



mosad into a major operation.“My first project was to

improve conditions for Jewishpatients who were alone with noadvocates. When I got fullyinvolved in the work, I washorrified. Jews who had survivedthe horrors of the Holocaust werelanguishing on moldy mattresses,without basic medical treatment orproper sanitation and nutrition.

“In some places, medicalorganizations conductedexperiments testing patients’reactions to various medications.The sights I saw, time and again,were heartbreaking. Within a shorttime, we were able to get the Jewsout of there and demonstrate to thehospital administrators that therewere people who cared aboutthem.”

A high percentage of themedical staff in Argentina isJewish. R’ Blumenfeld did notalways need money to take care ofthose Jews. If one of the Jewishdoctors, tops in his field, visitedthe patients personally once ortwice a month, that was sufficientto get the staff in that hospital totreat those patients better.

“At first there was no money atall. I would rope the Jewish doctorsinto the organization. Manydoctors even donated medication,and every year our membershipamong the Jewish doctors grew.

“In our endeavor to improve thepatients’ medical condition, wedidn’t forget the spiritual end ofthings. In this shlichus, both areintertwined. Every day we go tosome of the 110 hospitals inBuenos Aires, checking on theJewish patients and helping themout materially and spiritually.Whether it’s putting on t’fillin withthem, or talking with the hospitalstaff, we are the patients’ Jewishconnection. Many of them seek outsomeone to provide them withmoral support.”

The organization has dozens offamous doctors as members,including those who are tops intheir respective fields. They are animportant component of theorganization. These doctors are notvolunteering their help out of asense of obligation but truly see theimportance of the organization.

“One of the importantvolunteers is a psychologist namedDamian Goldstein. When he heardabout us, he requested that weprovide help to a Jewish patient inhis department. Although hehimself was on the faculty, he had

no say in how she was treated. Hecalled us to save this woman, whohad been traumatized by a tragedyin her family. The trauma hadcaused her to become mute. Shehad no relatives in Argentina, andin situations such as these, thedoctors felt they could do as theypleased since there was no one whocared. They might simply neglecther without medication sincenobody is around to protest. As a

result of Dr. Goldstein’sinvolvement, we were able to gether into a better place where theytook care of her. This doctorjoined our organization and waslater appointed supervisor of thepsychiatric department.

“He has helped many Jewishpatients in his own hospital andothers. The doctor himself begantaking an interest in Judaismbecause of his activities. Over theyears he began attending shul.

“His grandfather had a large,famous bakery in Argentina called‘Goldstein’s Bread.’ The bakeryclosed and the doctor’s father, whois also involved in ourorganization, decided to donate thebuilding for our work.

“I have raised money torenovate the building and turn alarge part of it into a rehab center,with separate sections for men andwomen. The building is centrallylocated on a street called ‘Land ofIsrael.’ We put mezuzos upthroughout the building. We areleaving the bakery rooms so thatthe people being rehabilitated canwork part-time baking bread. Thebread will be sent to hundreds ofneedy Jews in Buenos Aires and tosoup kitchens. I never dreamedthat I’d have even a small buildingto realize my dreams, but when yougo with the Rebbe’s kochos, thesky’s the limit.”

IGROS KODESH: A MEANS OF

CONNECTING JEWSTO THE REBBE

When I asked R’ Blumenfeldwhether patients ask to write to theRebbe through the Igros Kodesh,whether people are aware of thisphenomenon, he looked at me insurprise.

“Of course,” he answered. “Weare Chassidim and these are ourtools to connect Jews to the Rebbe,

Rabbi Blumenfeld cheering up aJewish patient after he underwent a

liver transplant



to provide for them materially andspiritually. Why wouldn’t we useit?

“In Lubavitch we say thatmiracles roll about under the table,but nobody bothers to pick themup. That’s the feeling I have in mywork. We constantly see miraclesand Hashgacha Pratis. I’ll tell youtwo stories.

“There was a woman who

suffered terribly from severalserious diseases. We saw her nameon the list of patients that thehospital gave us, and identified itas a Jewish name. That’s how wegot to her.

“When we entered her room,we saw that she couldn’t leave herbed. She couldn’t even move. Herface lit up at the sight of us. Shewas thrilled to see Jews who had

come to visit her, even if she didn’tknow us. Her own family didn’tvisit her much. In our firstencounter we told her about theRebbe, that he is the Rosh B’neiYisroel and that he cares aboutevery Jew. We suggested that shewrite to the Rebbe whilestrengthening some aspect of herJewish observance.

“She agreed to have us put upmezuzos in her house, and wewrote a letter to the Rebbe on herbehalf. The answer was veryencouraging. The Rebbe blessed awoman who was in distress thatshe be extricated from alldisruptive matters.

“That very evening, she beganto feel an enormous change in hercondition. The doctors werestunned. There was no reason forthe surprising improvement. Whenshe managed to get out of bed, shecommitted to lighting candles everyErev Shabbos. Not long after, shewas released from the hospital andbecame a baalas t’shuva.

“Sometimes we add a name tocritically ill patients, as iscustomary. Many of the Jewishpatients have non-Jewish namesand we add Jewish names. Oneday, we entered the ICU of one ofthe hospitals and saw a familycrying. The doctors had told themto say goodbye to their mother,who had only a few hours left tolive. I asked the doctors to leavethe room.

“I wrote her name and hermother’s name and asked theRebbe for a bracha for her. ‘Aslong as she is still alive,’ I told thefamily, ‘the gates of Heaven havenot closed. The doctors do notdecide her fate; their job is to heal,not to cause despair.’ Theunbelievable happened. I get theshivers as I repeat this story to you.

“After a few hours, signs of lifebegan to return. Within days, sherecovered. The doctors had toapologize to the family.”Rabbi Blumenfeld putting on t’fillin with someone in the hospital

Rabbi Blumenfeld putting on t’fillin with someone in the hospital



You can hear the deep emotionin the voice of Mrs. Chaya AidelKaufman of Kfar Chabad, as shereveals the amazing miracle storythat she and her husband, R’Eliyahu Yisroel, experienced withtheir son, Moshe Leib, twenty-sixyears ago. Until now, the familyhad preferred, for personal reasons,to keep this exciting account tothemselves. Now, after more than aquarter of a century has passed,Mrs. Kaufman asked her son’spermission to share this story forthe first time.

WITH EYES THATCANNOT SEE

“More than three decades ago,after our wedding, we livedtogether with many other Jewishfamilies in the Edgware section ofNorth London. Theneighborhood’s Jewish populationwas quite large at the time, andthere were even several Chabadfamilies. In those days, beforeRabbi Levi Sudak opened apermanent Chabad House there,

those Chabad families did not reston their laurels. They periodicallyheld activities in spreading thewellsprings of Yiddishkait. Theyorganized rallies, aimed primarilyat the non-observant Jewishcommunity to bring them closer tothe path of their forefathers. Wewere one of those families, as wewere just starting our journey inthe direction of Judaism andChassidus.

“Exactly twenty-six years ago,when our son Moshe Leib wasborn, we were privileged to receiveour first letter from the Rebbe inhonor of his birth. The lettercontained the traditional blessingthat we should merit to raise himto Torah, marriage, and gooddeeds. Although we were not yetChassidim, we were simplyoverjoyed to receive a letter fromthe Rebbe. With our steadyprogress over the passage of time,and the testimonials of ourchassidic friends about theuniqueness of the Rebbe, we wereinfused with the clear

understanding that the Rebbe is farmore than another just anothermajestic rabbinical figure.

“Several weeks after the birth ofour son, we realized that he hadproblems with his vision. We hadtoys that a child follows with hiseyes, and we moved them in frontof him, right and left, but his eyesdidn’t react. At first, we tried tocalm ourselves that he was still justan infant, and since a baby’s sightis rather limited, things willeventually improve as he startsgrowing. As time passed, I wouldput noisy and colorful toys in frontof him, but his eyes remained inplace like stones.

“Worrying thoughts began tognaw away at me, giving me nopeace of mind. One day, I openedthe curtains of our home on anunusually bright and sunny Englishmorning, and I noticed that hereacted slightly to the light. Whilethis did give me a modicum ofhope, I realized that I wasn’t justbeing a concerned mother – therewas a real problem. I quickly madean appointment with our familyphysician. After a variety ofexaminations, he confirmed ourfears. He explained that he doessee a problem of some sort, butsince he is only a generalpractitioner, he referred us to apediatrician experienced in treatingchildren with vision problems.Within a few days, we appeared athis clinic.

“Our son was only two monthsold at the time, and the doctorbegan a lengthy series of x-rays

mirac le story

Even today, twenty-six years later, Ican’t help becoming emotional. To myutter disbelief, his eyes began to move –right, left, up, and down, following thetoy. I was absolutely shocked.Dumbfounded, I simply stood theretrembling…

SEEING IS BELIEVINGBy Nosson AvrohomTranslated By Michoel Leib Dobry



and tests. After several longminutes, he sat with us andexplained that while he didn’t wantto alarm us, there appears to be aserious problem with our son’seyes. He was unwilling to give aclear medical diagnosis, becausethe boy was still too young. Heasked that we schedule anappointment for four months timewith a doctor far more experiencedthan he.

“Throughout those months ofwaiting, we continued doingdifferent exercises with him. It wasquite amazing to see how the babywas so wonderfully happy, alwayslaughing, despite his visionproblems. Our anxiety grew.Anyone who is familiar with theBritish mentality knows that it isquite different from the Israeli one.

A British family doesn’t sharethings with anyone about what’shappening within their home, noteven with a neighbor or a veryclose relative, trying as much aspossible to hide things.Nevertheless, there were Chabadfamilies who knew about theproblem and suggested that wewrite to the Rebbe.

“Despite our great andintensifying faith in the Rebbe,especially since my husband hadeven visited 770 and beheld itswonders with his very own eyes, westill hadn’t internalized the wholeconcept. Once, when I suggestedto my husband that he shouldcontact the Rebbe, he replied thatwe had already received a letterfrom the Rebbe for our son,blessing him that he should grow

up to Torah, chuppa and maasimtovim – why should we trouble theRebbe again? That’s how weperceived things at the time. TheRebbe was surely quite busy, sowhy bother him? Despite myhusband’s revealed expressions offaith, I remained greatlyconcerned.”

RETELLING STORIES OFPERSONAL SALVATION

“A few days before RoshChodesh Adar, a month and a halfafter the medical diagnosis that leftus filled with such pain andanguish, a ‘Melaveh Malka’ washeld at the home of R’ PinchasRabin, one of the neighborhoodAnash members. After the event’sformalities had concluded, each of

(illustration)



the several Chabad chassidim inattendance that evening began totell a miracle story that he orsomeone he knew experienced inthe merit of the Rebbe’s bracha.These included some thrillingstories regarding children bornwith health problems that thedoctors declared incurable, whofully recovered with the Rebbe’sbracha.

“When these chassidim heardabout our son’s recently discoveredhealth problem, they urged us towrite the Rebbe immediately,surprised that we hadn’t done sountil now.

“Upon our return home, I toldmy husband that no matter what, Iwas going to sit down immediatelyand write a letter to the Rebbe –and so I did. The very next day, Igathered all the medicalinformation, and laid out the entireproblem in every detail, and askedthe Rebbe for his bracha. I placedthe letter in an envelope addressedto the Rebbe’s secretariat, planningto drop it in the mailbox thefollowing morning.

“On Monday, the morning ofRosh Chodesh Adar, before leavingthe house to mail the letter, Idecided to do one more exercisewith our son, using those toys.While I was rather skepticalwhether there would be anychange, the heart of a mother iswhat it always will be. There’salways hope, even when it is clearlyillogical. And then the improbablehappened! Even today, twenty-sixyears later, I can’t help becomingemotional. To my utter disbelief,his eyes began to move – right, left,up, and down, following the toy.Dumbfounded, I simply stood theretrembling…

“The feeling of sheer joy andhappiness that engulfed us thatmonth of Adar is difficult to putinto words. This was somethingpositively sent straight from

Heaven, totally beyond humancomprehension. Yet it is knownamong chassidim that the Rebbereceives the request for a bracha asthe letter is written, even before itis sent.

“Our appointment with thespecialist was still on, and I didn’twant to cancel it. I naively thoughtthat maybe some remnant of thecondition remained, or perhaps thechild would need to wear specialglasses. In any event, we didn’twant to lose the opportunity to

consult with this doctor, who wasknown far and wide as a greatexpert in the field.

“On the day of the scheduledappointment, we arrived at thedoctor’s office. After a lengthyseries of tests, he asked myhusband what the problem with ourson was. When my husband beganto give details of his medicalcondition, the doctor raised hiseyebrows and held out his hands inpuzzlement. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I

wouldn’t have believed you at all ifI hadn’t seen what the first doctorwho sent you here had written inhis report. But according to myexamination, not only do I seenothing wrong, but there isn’t eventhe slightest sign of a visionproblem. If there was somethingthere, it’s completelydisappeared…’

“The story quickly spreadthroughout the small Chabadcommunity of North London. Thisserved as a thrilling lesson for us inthe strength and power of theRebbe.

“A few years later, prior toemigrating to Eretz Yisroel with theRebbe’s bracha, we traveled to theUS to visit my mother in Californiafor the High Holidays. We used theopportunity to spend Sukkos in770 with the Rebbe, and also wentin for a general yechidus after YomTov.”

EVERYONE CANAND MUST

Mrs. Kaufman concludes herunique and moving story with thefact that since that wondrousmiracle, which took place when herson was less than six months old,Moshe Leib has shown no signs ofany vision problems, without eventhe slightest indication of thedifficulties he experienced prior tothis miracle.

Today, Moshe Leib lives in NewYork, makes a decent living [– andis looking for a nice shidduch, hismother adds]. She sums it up bysaying that she understands fromthis story how every Jew, from allsectors and backgrounds, have aninner and “essential” connectionwith the Rebbe, even if we don’tperceive it in an actual sense.Everyone in need of a bracha andpersonal salvation can request hisblessing and receive it.

When my husbandbegan to givedetails of his

medical condition,the doctor raisedhis eyebrows and

held out his handsin puzzlement. ‘I

wouldn’t havebelieved you at all

if I hadn’t seenthe report from

the doctor.’



THE REBBE SEES WHATHASHEM WANTS

The story is told about someonewho came to the Tzemach Tzedekand told him that he doesn’t believein G-d because he doesn’t see Him.The Tzemach Tzedek asked him, “Isthere a czar in Russia?” “Ofcourse,” the man replied. “Did youever see him?” The man admittedthat he did not. “So what makes youso sure he exists?” “Because my

brother was in Petersburg and hesaw the czar and told me about it,”replied the man. The TzemachTzedek said, “I saw Hashem andyou can believe me!”

This is why the sages are calledthe “eyes of the flock” – becausethey see what we do not. G’doleiYisroel, each on his own level, sawthe truth, whether intellectually orthrough an innate perception that hecouldn’t explain. This idea is

brought in connection with “Ravwas silent and nevertheless, theHalacha is like him.” The AmoraRav paskened a Halacha and eventhough he did not respond to thequestioning of his disciple, RavKahana, the Halacha still remainslike Rav.

It is explained in Chassidus thatRav’s p’sak halacha was anintellectual perception of the truth,even though he couldn’t explain it.

There are other higher levels ofvision that G’dolei Yisroel experiencedue to the exaltedness of theirneshamos. These are expressed inthe quality of their vision, its clarity,and its absolute veracity, like ShmuelHaNavi who said, “I am the Seer.”

This is why they, and only they,can set the agenda in inyanei avodasHashem and Torah and mitzvos. It isobvious that only someone withvision, who knows the way, can lead.A guide on a tour is someone whoknows the way. He is responsibleenough not to try new roads withwhich he is unfamiliar, so as not toendanger the people who follow him.

The same is true in our inyan. ARebbe is Rosh B’nei Yisroel, thehead which directs the body and isthe source of life for the entire body.The chayus that the Rebbe gives isdirection, a goal and purpose, andthe Rebbe is the guide who showsthe way and reveals to every createdbeing what the source and reasonfor his life are. In other words, heinforms us why Hashem gave us life

farbrengen

The Rebbe’s advice and instructionsresult from his being able to see thepurpose and goal, i.e. what Hashemwants. So whenever the Rebbe wasasked anything, whether aboutmaterial or spiritual matters, peoplerelied on his answer. They relied on himnot because of the Rebbe’s brilliance orknowledge of those fields and priorsuccess in them. If the basis for theRebbe’s answers was his brilliance,knowledge and experience, then amistake would be possible. * AChassidishe farbrengen.

UNMISTAKABLYREBBEBy Rabbi Chaim Ashkenazi, Rav of the Chabad k’hilla in Tel Aviv


and what Hashem wants of us.We learn this in Chassidus from

the verse, “All that Hashem wants,He does.” What sort of praise isthat? Of course Hashem does whatHe wants – who can compel Him todo otherwise? Chassidus explainsthe verse to mean that what makesthe created being exist is Hashem’sdesire for that creation, for thebenefit and purpose it provides.

A Chassid once tried explainingthis inyan to someone unfamiliarwith Chassidic concepts. He askedhim what Hashem would do if Hewanted to wipe out Moscow. Theperson proposed, “Set it on fire andburn it down.” The Chassid argued,“But ashes would remain.” The mansaid that Hashem would send windto scatter the ashes on the oceans.The Chassid maintained that still,something would remain of it.“Okay, I don’t know,” conceded theman. “What would Hashem do towipe out Moscow?” The Chassidanswered, “If Hashem didn’t wantMoscow, there would be noMoscow!”

This applies not just to Moscow,but to the entire world. When we saythat the Rebbe is the head, we meanthat to the Rebbe, it is absolutelyclear what “Hashem wants,” withthe utmost certainty. There isnothing that conceals the goal fromhim. The Rebbe directs the world sothat it attains its goal, for if itdeviates from its purpose therewould be no Moscow, no world.Moscow could not exist if Moscowdid not serve Hashem’s purpose.

Thus Hashem declares: “If theJewish people accept my Torah, fine;if not, I will turn the world back intoemptiness.” For if the world wouldnot be as Hashem wants it to be, itwould not have chayus and wouldsimply cease to exist.

It has been this way in everygeneration since the first Rebbe,Moshe Rabbeinu, about whom itsaid that when he was born, “the

house filled with light.” That doesn’tmean that they no longer neededillumination in the house. It meansthat Moshe’s body did not concealthe light of the neshama. Moshebequeathed the G-dly purpose to theJewish people, for which reason itwas created and exists.

THE REBBE DRAWSDOWN CHAYUS FORTHE GENERATION

Not only does the Rebbe knowthe reason for the chayus of everycreation, but it is through him thatthe chayus passes through to theworld. The meaning of the concept“Rebbe” is that through him comeall hashpaos – material and spiritual.In addition, the Rebbe sees what

Hashem desires of every createdentity, and has the ability – because“a tzaddik decrees and Hashemfulfills” – to effect that the G-dlydesire come about through certainactivities.

So whenever the Rebbe wasasked anything, whether aboutmaterial or spiritual matters, peoplerelied on his answer. They relied onhim not because of the Rebbe’sbrilliance, or knowledge in thosefields and prior success in them. Ifthe basis for the Rebbe’s answerswas his brilliance, knowledge andexperience, then a mistake would bepossible. His error rate would merelybe lower than that of the averageperson.

People who relate to the Rebbe

this way believe that he too can err,albeit very infrequently. With thisway of thinking, they are like theperson who thought that Moscowhas to be set on fire to do away withit. Just their G-d is somewhatgreater and can destroy Moscowwith an atomic bomb…

The truth is that the Rebbe’sadvice cannot be wrong because hesees the goal, the word of G-d in it.As was the case with all theRebbeim, the Rebbe very oftenresponded to things that botheredpeople which they had not askedabout.

For example, in a generalyechidus, the Rebbe spoke to manypeople at once, yet the people inattendance would each find personaladvice and answers in his words.

At farbrengens, too, there weresituations when the Rebberesponded, in his sichos, to thethoughts of the people who werepresent. One person, for example,who helped goyim within theframework of his specialty, wasn’tsure whether he should bother withthem. He attended the farbrengenand hoped to be able to ask theRebbe his question. The Rebbespoke about how great it is to havean influence on goyim so theyobserve their Seven Noachide Laws.His question was answered.

The same was true for thegeneral letters that the Rebbe wouldsend to individuals. Some recipientsmistakenly thought that these lettersweren’t meant for them personally.One such person complained to theRebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Chadakov,for he had anticipated a personalresponse. When R’ Chadakov toldthe Rebbe, the Rebbe said, “Ithought he would prefer that Ianswer him from the level where Iam at and not from where he is…”

We saw how the Rebbe was theconduit to draw down chayus to theentire generation: with yechidusklalis, farbrengens, dollars and


The TzemachTzedek told him,

“I saw Hashemand you canbelieve me!”


letters, to all Jewish sons anddaughters. It couldn’t possibly bebecause of his acumen or expertise.It was clearly because the Rebbe isthe one who establishes how thechayus is distributed, i.e. how thegeneral and individual world of eachperson will be run.

EVERY WORDAND MOVE IS TORAHThe connection and bittul of

Chabad Chassidim to the Rebbegoes far beyond that, in a mannerthat is incomparable in any otherplace or framework within Judaism.This connection is not built on trustand faith in someone who is smart,or even someone who has ruachha’kodesh, through whominstructions come from Above. Evenin such a case, there could be thepossibility of a mistake.

Just as there are no mistakes byHashem, so too there are nomistakes made by the Rebbe, whoexpresses the will of Hashem.Therefore, there are no desires onthe part of the Rebbe that are notfulfilled, just as whatever Hashemwants, must happen. This isexplained in a letter the Rebbe wroteon 3 Tamuz, 1950.

For the Rebbe there is no veeringfrom the goal, regrets or mistakes. Itis true that we find in Chazal manytimes when the deeds of Moshe oranother Rebbe or Nasi arequestioned, but nobody has theauthority to do so except for theTorah.

If there wasn’t an obligation tobelieve that Moshe does not err, whywere Korach and his followerspunished? Korach could have saidthat maybe Moshe erred, a fact thatthe Torah itself testifies to.Unfortunately Korach did say that,but G-d forbid that we follow in hisways. We must get it into our headsthat it is not up to us to imaginefault with Moshe, etc. Only theTorah itself has that right.

This idea is explained by theRebbe’s father on what it says inChazal, that all the words of ourSages are Hashem’s words. Evenwhen it says regarding a certainstatement of Rav Ashi that it wasfoolishness, it too is a part of Torah.One might ask, but it says thesethings regarding Hashem: “I regrethaving made them,” “bring anatonement for Me for diminishingthe moon,” or Hashem, whenHashem created the world, Hecreated worlds and destroyed themand said, “This doesn’t please meand this doesn’t please me.”

Of course, we do not take this

literally, to mean that Hashem madea mistake and then regretted it.There were reasons for diminishingthe moon and for creating worldsand destroying them. This isexplained in Chassidus.

Such statements are similar toexpressions such as “the eyes ofHashem,” “and Hashem was angry,”“and Hashem went,” “and Hashemsaid,” “and Hashem heard,” etc. –everyone understands that they arenot meant literally in any physicalsense.

Accordingly, every detail of whatthe Rebbe says and does is

intentional and in accordance withthe Supernal desire. Even if there isa situation where things seem to begoing contrary to the direction thatthe Rebbe laid out – like the currentworld situation in light of the inyanof the beginning of Moshiach’sactions in the world – as long as theRebbe himself did not say there is achange, it all remains in force andwill definitely be realized.

This is why, for LubavitcherChassidim, it’s impossible for thingsto not to be in accordance with whatthe Rebbe said – or even insinuatedthrough a meaningful look or amotion with his head or arm. This isbecause the Rebbe is the sourcefrom which the world was founded,as it says, “The tzaddik is thefoundation of the world.” Whateverhe says and does make animpression on the world. We sawthis when a hurricane was headingfor Miami and with a wave of theRebbe’s hand, the hurricane changedcourse.

Hashem has given over to thetzaddik, The Rebbe, to shape notonly this world, but all worlds.Although we can’t understand it, weaccept that this is the way it is – thisis how Hashem created the world.

IT IS NOT MERELYA HOPE, BUT THEULTIMATE GOAL

Just as everyone believes thatthere is no mistake in Torah, thereare no mistakes by the Rebbe who is,as it says regarding DovidHaMelech, “the one who connectsHashem and Torah.”

Therefore, although there aremany things that we do notunderstand, there cannot be

questions on the Rebbe. Ourunderstanding of the Rebbe is lessthan a donkey’s understanding ofvegetable soup. A donkey seesvegetables but just doesn’tunderstand what soup is. We see the



Rebbe’s body but not the Rebbe,and we understand only a tiny dropof what the Rebbe says and put thedetails together like a puzzle thatenables us to form a certain image.What we don’t know far surpasseswhat we do.

This topic of what a Rebbe iswould not be something we have todeal with at all, but since the Rebberevealed a little bit it’s our obligationto try and flesh out our knowledgeof the topic. Therefore, every storyabout the Rebbe – his words andactions, his goings and comings, hislooking here or there, sitting, gettingup, etc. – these are not merelyactions that everybody does, and noteven things that a wise man doeswhich surely are meaningful. It’sTorah. Not just the sichas chulin(mundane talk) of Torah scholars,which needs to be studied, butactual Torah, including the divineblueprints of how to create and runthe world.

If you examine the sichos andreshimos of the Rebbe Rayatz, yousee how he describes his father, theRebbe Rashab, and the earlierRebbeim in great detail. We rarelysee anything like this with other

G’dolei Yisroel, especially not insuch great detail as this.

This tells us what our attitudeought to be towards anythingconnected with the Rebbe, forwhatever the Rebbe does and says isTorah and guidance. Reading thesereshimos is not bittul Torah, sincethey deal with the Rebbe whoseevery movement brings chayus to theworld. (Of course, there is a time foreverything, and we should not focusexclusively on this.)

Up until this point, we havediscussed about how to relate to theRebbe and his personal advice aswell as general instructions at anygiven time. This is all the moreimportant when dealing with a topicwhich – as the Alter Rebbe says inTanya is the point of creation –“Yemos HaMoshiach andResurrection of the Dead.”

Moshiach is mentioned a fewtimes in Tanya, while in the Rebbe’steachings it is mentioned countlesstimes. Indeed, thousands of theRebbe’s expressions and actionspertained to bringing the Geula.

Some maintain that this wasanother merely yet another attemptof a Gadol who wanted to bringMoshiach and saw an auspicioustime for it. Many G’dolei Yisroelbegged and tried everything possibleto arouse those Jews with whomthey came in contact, in order tobring the Geula. Surely each of theseg’dolim accomplished something inhis time and did not try for nothing,yet ultimately, they remained ingalus. Nothing changed and theGeula process did not begin. Theiraccomplishments were limited to thespiritual plane.

This was not the case with theRebbe. He first told us “to polish thebuttons,” and then informed us thatit was completed, and there is noreason why Moshiach has not yetcome. We should therefore cry out“Moshiach now,” in all languages.There is nothing delaying the Geula;

if there was still something tocorrect, there would be no reason toshout.

Then we heard from the Rebbethat not only has Moshiach startedhis activities in the world, but wehave the metzius (existence) ofMoshiach and even his hisgalus(revelation). The Rebbe stated thatthe only thing remaining for theshluchim to do is prepare the worldto greet Moshiach. We are already atthe table set for Geula, and theRebbe has informed us whoMoshiach is – Moshiach is the NasiHaDor, and he’s on his way.

There were other earth shatteringstatements of the Rebbe like,“Whoever says that just like in thetime of the Rebbe Rayatz, Moshiachdid not come, it’s the same now – isa wild man and there is no point inarguing with him.” It’s not justanother wish, as it was in the past.

BEING PERMEATEDWITH MOSHIACH

None of the Rebbeim acted orspoke like this, even though all ofthem were cognizant of the fact thatthe revelation of Chassidus is tobring Moshiach and were mosernefesh for this purpose. It is theRebbe who provides the chayus andaccomplishes the end goal ofMoshiach.

We are forced to conclude that ifthis process – of marching towardsthe Geula, about which the BaalShem Tov told us since therevelation of Chassidus – does notcontinue and grow stronger, then wehave to revert to what was donehundreds of years ago, when theyonly learned Nigleh withoutChassidus and without all theinnovations of our Rebbeim.

From the very beginning, whenhe first accepted the nesius, theRebbe told us that this is thepurpose of our generation. Cananyone come along and sayotherwise? Not unless we hear


“Okay, I don’tknow,” the man

conceded. “Whatwould Hashem do

to wipe outMoscow?” The

Chassid answered,“If Hashem didn’t

want Moscow,there would be no

Moscow!”


differently … and we won’t, becausethis is our tachlis. This is the chayusthat provides for the existence of theentire generation.

Geula is the message of thegeneration. We can learn to whatdegree we must be preoccupied withit from the way people act in otherareas. In our generation, peoplethink that the goal in life is amassingmoney or pursuing honor, and thisis what drives them, but it doesn’tstop them from eating, reading thepaper, and going about their dailylives. To translate this to k’dusha –we need to be busy with mivtzaim,learning Nigleh and Chassidus,doing mitzvos b’hiddur anddavening, but it all needs to bepermeated with Moshiach.

We can learn from a Lubavitcher

woman who put much effort intobuilding a mikva somewhere in theUnited States. The rabbi of thetown, who was not a Lubavitcher,went to look at it and was veryimpressed. He told her, “You haveno idea what a big portion awaitsyou in the World to Come.”

She responded, “What? OlamHaBa? Moshiach is coming!”

We can sum it up by saying thatif the topic of Moshiach causes aperson the opposite of a hiddur inTorah or mitzvos – that is notMoshiach. And if the revelation ofMoshiach is not the goal for theTorah and mitzvos that a persondoes, then this is not Torah andmitzvos as dictated to ourgeneration.

It used to be said that the goal of

avoda is to give nachas to Hashem.The Rebbe accustomed us nowadaysto saying that the goal of avoda is“to bring Moshiach.” And if that’swhat the Rosh B’nei Yisroel dictates,so be it, b’m’heira b’yameinu amen!


The Rebbe said, “Ithought he wouldprefer that Ianswer him fromthe level where Iam at and notfrom where heis…”

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The following stories areabout shluchim who receivedinstructions from the Rebbewhich at first seemed odd. Onlyafter doing as they were told didthey understand what the Rebbeknew from afar.

Rabbi Notke Barkahan a”hwas a baal mesirus nefesh fromRussia who made aliya in 1973.In his senior years he became ashliach to his homeland andserved as chief rabbi of Latvia.

During the period that R’Barkahan lived in Eretz Yisroel,he visited the Rebbe. Before hisreturn home he stood on line for“dollars.” When it was his turn,the Rebbe gave him a dollar andsaid, “This is to be given totz’daka in Brazil.”

R’ Barkahan had never been inBrazil and had no plans of goingthere, but he put his trust in theRebbe and boarded a plane toBrazil, not worrying about whatthe next step would be. On hisfirst day there, he met achildhood friend from Russia whotold him that he had a son inBrazil who intended on marryinga gentile girl. His friend asked R’Barkahan to try and convince hisson not to marry her, althoughhis son was unwilling to listen toanything that was intended todissuade him.

R’ Barkahan invited the son tohis hotel, “to drink a littlel’chaim.” He bought bottles ofvodka and poured cup after cupfor the young man, who was

happy to drink it. R’ Barkahandid not drink; he just poured itinto his beard while he made itlook as though he was drinking.

After the second bottle, whenthe young man was good anddrunk, R’ Barkahan beganshouting at him to leave thewoman until he convinced him togo to her house then and there.When they got to her house, herparents saw that their future son-in-law was a confused drunk andthey threw him out. They warnedtheir daughter not to dare be incontact with him again.

Boruch Hashem, he is marriedto a Jewish woman and they havea fine Jewish home, all thanks toa peculiar instruction from theRebbe and a faithful Chassid wholistened to what the Rebbe saideven when he didn’t understandit.

“YOU SHOULD NOTUPROOT YOURDWELLING TO

ANOTHER LOCATION”Not far from Beit Shaan is a

cluster of yishuvim, MoshaveiTaanach. Shluchim of the Rebbehave been working there for overfifty years, building a beautiful


sh l i chus

R’ Barkahan invited the son to hishotel, “to drink a little l’chaim.” Afterthe second bottle, when the young manwas good and drunk, R’ Barkahanbegan shouting at him to leave thewoman until he convinced him to go toher house then and there...

FOLLOWING THEREBBE, WHEREVERHE LEADSBy Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz, Shliach, Beit Shaan



Chabad school, giving dozens ofshiurim and doing other mivtzaimof the Rebbe throughout the area.The shluchim there are: RabbisAvrohom Yitzchok Sossonkin,Avrohom Dunin, and YitzchokYadgar, as well as Rabbi Jerufiand until his recent passing,Rabbi Gury a”h.

Rabbi Yitzchok Yadgar, whowas principal of the school forforty years, is well loved andadmired by every child and adultin these yishuvim. Hundreds ofpeople attend his weekly shiurim(each evening in a differentmoshav) and many also consulthim privately, whether in personor by phone. R’ Yadgar isoccupied with the public nearly atall times of day and night. Thehardest thing for him, he says, isthat he can’t walk a hundredmeters in Afula without beingstopped by people seekinganswers, advice, or blessings.

But that’s not the way it wasat the beginning of his career inTaanach. About two years after hestarted his shlichus in Taanach hefound out about good apartmentsthat were being built in KfarChabad. R’ Yadgar, who had

already contributed two years ofhis life to shlichus, thought thatperhaps it was time for him tomove to a Chabad communitywith shuls, a mikva, andChassidishe chinuch for hischildren. He asked the Rebbewhether he could register for anapartment.

The Rebbe had other plans forR’ Yadgar, and told him:

Regarding registering for theneighborhood in Kfar Chabad,you and your friends are doingactivities in the place etc. andshould not uproot your dwellingto another location, especiallywhen you are a member of theircommunity from the past andour holy Torah says that thepoor of your city takeprecedence.

R’ Yadgar is from the Kurdcommunity, as are many of theresidents of Taanachim. He wastaken aback by the Rebbe’sanswer. He had already beenenvisioning moving to KfarChabad and living among old-time Chassidim, and now theRebbe was telling him not tomove. It was hard for him, but heand his friends stayed put, and

their connection with the placeand the residents grew stronger.

Since R’ Yadgar knows how tospeak their language, he is able toovercome any opposition. Hepublicizes and announces theRebbe’s horaos and propheciesand people accept what he sayslike Torah from Sinai.

Years passed. Once again, R’Yadgar hinted to the Rebbe in aletter how hard it was for him sofar from Chabad communities (atthat time there was still noChabad house in Beit Shaan…),and how the people he was beingmekasher to the Rebbe waitedmonths for a reply from theRebbe. The Rebbe replied that hegave R’ Yadgar the power to blesspeople in the merit of an additionin mitzvos.

This is what the Rebbe wrotein the margin of R’ Yadgar’sletter:

You should answer in myname to all those who turn toyou, in addition to sending theirnames to me, and tell them thatthey should accept uponthemselves mitzvos etc., and thiswill turn into a channel andabundance for them foreverything they need.

To someone who wrote to theRebbe about difficulties andindecision, the Rebbe responded,“Speak to Rav Yitzchok Yadgar,who understands the humanpsyche.” Indeed, countless peopleknock at his door and call him upfor advice, guidance, andbrachos. Through him theybecome mekushar to the Rebbe,his teachings and his instructions.

I work with a principal of oneof the schools in Beit Shaan. Thisprincipal has met with R’ Yadgarin regional meetings of principals,and he always remembers toquote R’ Yadgar and how healways says (with the Chassidicpronunciation), the Rebbe Melech

Rabbi Barkahan receiving lekach from the Rebbe on Hoshana Raba.



HaMoshiach.Today, R’ Yadgar says, “What

a z’chus that the Rebbe had usstay here. We have to thank theRebbe for the privilege of being

mekarev so many Jews to theRebbe, to have enabled Jews to doso many mitzvos, and to preparethem to welcome Moshiach.

WHAT HAPPENS WHENYOU DON’T LISTENA friend of mine, a shliach

who would like to remainanonymous, told me:

“I went on shlichus over thirtyyears ago. I began a series ofprograms and mivtzaim andthings went well. Within a shorttime I had a shul, a club forchildren, a school underconstruction and more.

“The first time I wrote to theRebbe about my work, I got aletter with a bracha, but theRebbe addressed the letter to thehanhala of Tzeirei Chabad in thecity. Young and inexperienced, Ihad no idea that this meant that Iwas supposed to work in concertwith the members of the hanhala(today every shliach works intandem with Tzach, but then itwasn’t known or as well

established). I thought it was thestandard message to ChabadHouse directors.

“I continued my work withoutdiscussing it with the members ofthe hanhala, and I suffer theconsequences till this day. At acertain point the rabbanim toldme to transfer my authority toothers. Even the amazing things Ihad built up myself did not last.Although I worked with mesirusnefesh, everything developedhaphazardly and without lastingsuccess.

“It was only many years laterthat the activities began to beestablished the way the Rebbewanted it. Today there aresuccessful mosdos of the Chabadhouse in my city, but I am notresponsible for most of theactivities. I am sorry that I didnot understand the Rebbe’sinstruction, to establish aroundme a group to serve as theadministrative board of theChabad House.”

R’ Yadgar isoccupied with the

public nearly 24hours a day. Thehardest thing for

him, he says, isthat he can’t walka hundred metersin Afula withoutbeing stopped by

people seekinganswers, advice,

or blessings.

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[Continued from Issue #680]

HIS BODY BOWED ON ITS OWNIn the time of Purim, the Jewish people put their lives

on the line in devotion to G-d and His commandments,proclaiming the unity of G-d in the face of persecutionand the threat of complete annihilation. With such a showof self-sacrifice, the Jewish people attained the greatestpossible heights in Divine service, connecting with thevery essence of G-d.

But actually sacrificing one’s life, or the preparednessto do so (given a real threat), is not the only expression ofself-sacrifice as defined here in the Rebbe’s teachings.This essential connection to G-d can be attained simplyby emulating the unique character of that mode of self-sacrifice, as expressed on Purim. Namely, when “one’sentire being (including his physicality) becomes a vesselto the aspect of ‘he doesn’t know’ of above.” When self-nullification, usually associated with the soul, is expressed

even physically – materially andbodily – then the unity and essence ofG-d is fully manifest.

The Rebbe provides examples ofthis perfect devotion to G-d inFootnote 48:

“[The Divine service described as ‘hedoesn’t know’ is] expressed by [what ismentioned in the Talmud], ‘When [theprayer] reached Modim, he bowedautomatically’ (Yerushalmi Brachos 2:4,end; Tosafos, beginning with, “Iyun,”Shabbos 118b). That is, although in termsof his conscious mind and his perception,‘he did not know’ that they had saidModim, on account of the self-nullificationof his physical body to G-dliness (not tobow down nor prostrate oneself to worldlymatters), ‘he bowed automatically.’Indeed, he had become one with theaspect of ‘he doesn’t know’ of the HolyOne Blessed Be He. Thus, ofconsequence, everything he did, evensubconsciously, was the will of G-d.

“The above sheds light on the story of theRebbe Rashab, nishmaso Eden (LikkuteiDibburim Vol. 2, 274a), regarding whomthe author [the Rebbe Rayatz] said that,although at the time ‘he did not know’ thereason for a certain practice [i.e., hiscustom of washing his hands three timesper hand prior to eating a meal], he wascertain that it is in accordance with the

teachings of the Torah, insofar as he had accustomed hisbody to behave in accordance with the instructions of theTorah and the Shulchan Aruch.”

These two examples illustrate perhaps the highest level ofself-nullification to G-d, when – not just the soul, but –even the physical body becomes a vehicle, a chariot, forG-d’s will, without the need for any conscious directives(and certainly no struggle), but in a manner of “hedoesn’t know,” a devotion that permeates the person’sentire being, affecting even his subconscious.

PURIM: THE EQUALIZERLikewise, in terms of unity with one’s fellow, Purim

has an advantage over Yom HaKippurim. As we discussed, the great spiritual experience of the

Giving of the Torah (in general) is associated with unityamong Jews. The commemoration of the Giving of theSecond Tablets, on Yom Kippur, is the pinnacle of the

The customs of Purim, emphasizingbrotherhood among Jews of all sortsthrough acts of kindness andgenerosity, clearly illustrate this higherlevel of unity, the perfect unity requiredfor bringing down the very essence ofG-dliness into our physical world. *Tracing the Rebbe MH”M’sinstructions on how to perfect ourDivine service in the Final Era.

PURIM: THEEQUALIZERBy Boruch Merkur

mosh iach & geu la ~ The Final Era ~



achievement of the soul. It is the day that marks the heightof spiritual attainment and self-nullification in the Jewishcalendar. Being that self-nullification is the means toachieve unity, Yom Kippur is also a day that approachesthe height of unity:

“Unity comes from a person’s self-nullification (as discussedabove), through perceiving that one’s soul is primary and thebody is secondary, because ‘with respect to the source oftheir souls in the One G-d,’ all Jews are ‘literally brothers,’‘for all of them are correlated and they all have one [i.e., thesame] father,’ ‘it is just that their bodies are distinct.’105

“Thus, all Jews are unified on Yom HaKippurim,106 forthen the self-nullification and self-sacrifice is expressed through theremoval and nullification of the bodyand physicality...”

Transcending our bodily needs anddesires on Yom Kippur provides theperfect environment for recognizingand acknowledging our inherent unity,for it is only our bodies that separateus; our souls readily appreciate ourbrotherhood.

But based on our understanding ofan even higher level of devotion, theultimate heights of Purim, a devotionthat permeates even our physicalexperience, it is clear that there is alsoa higher level of unity, one that findsexpression specifically through physicalmeans:

“This is also expressed in unity (notthrough the removal of physicality, buton the contrary) through physicalthings: ‘friends sending items one toanother and gifts to the poor,’ whichunifies Jews who are otherwisephysically ‘scattered and fragmentedamong the nations.’107

“Indeed, we may assert that since the self-nullification andunity on Purim (which permeates even the physicality of theperson) reaches higher up above (than the self-nullificationand self-sacrifice of Yom HaKippurim), therefore, also theunity experienced below is more profound. That is, since theunity accomplished through ‘sending items one to anotherand gifts to the poor (matanos la’evyonim)’ is not donethrough removing oneself from physical things, whichseparate a person from his friend – a rich person and a poorperson [being distinguished in terms of their relative wealth]

and so on – but it permeates even the present status of everyindividual Jew as he is, therefore, as Jews stand separate[from one another], the rich man becomes unified even withthe poor man, who has far, far less than him, even animpoverished person who desires all things,108 as well aspoor people (evyonim), in the plural, which includes all typesof poor people.109

“In fact, the law110 is that ‘[on Purim] we give to anyonewho extends a hand.’ There is no difference or concern as towhom it is,111 for on Purim the level of ‘he doesn’t know’of G-d’s essence shines, which equalizes small andgreat.”112

Thus, the customs of Purim –emphasizing brotherhood among Jewsof all sorts of material and spiritualstatures, through physical acts ofkindness and generosity – clearlyillustrate this higher level of unity, theperfect unity required for bringingdown the very essence of G-dlinessinto our physical world, the ultimatepurpose of the Divine service of theFinal Era.

NOTES:

105 Tanya Ch. 32.

106 See Likkutei Sichos Vol. 19, pg. 302ff.

107 We may assert that the SupernalIntent with regard to the fact that “there isone nation that is scattered andfragmented among the nations” (forindeed, that is the reality in accordancewith the Supernal Will, for it is notaccording to our will that we went intoexile, etc. – the address of 3 Tammuz5687) is in order to reveal the unity (“onenation”) of Jews even the place where they

have been scattered and fragmented among the nations (in thisphysical world), for in this manner they will come to a loftierheight, as discussed above in the body of the text.

108 VaYikra Rabba 34:6; Midrash Mishlei 22; commentary ofRashi R’ei 15:4.

109 See Likkutei Sichos Vol. 4, pg. 1288, end.

110 Rambam Laws of the Megilla 2:16; Tur Shulchan AruchOrach Chayim 694:2.

111 See Pri Eitz Chayim Shaar HaPurim Ch. 6.

112 See Likkutei Levi Yitzchok Igros, pg. 267-8.

~ The Final Era ~

“He had becomeone with theaspect of ‘hedoesn’t know’ ofthe Holy OneBlessed Be He.Thus, ofconsequence,everything hedid, evensubconsciously,was the will ofG-d.”



HALF AN HOUR IN ‘GANEDEN HA’TACHTON’22 Shvat, 1984. When the

Rebbe left the small zal afterMincha, he blessed the group oftravelers standing nearby. Amongthose embarking on a trip wasRabbi David Hollander. When theRebbe saw him, he asked him witha smile whether everything was allright. R’ Hollander began torespond and while he spoke, heand the Rebbe walked in thedirection of Gan Eden HaTachton,where they spoke for nearly half anhour!

When they finished talking, theRebbe went into his room and R’Hollander returned to the lobby of770 where bachurim waited, eagerto hear what they had spokenabout. R’ Hollander said that heplanned on traveling soon to EretzYisroel and the Rebbe spoke to

him about the seriousness of theMihu Yehudi law.

The Rebbe mentioned that thenewspapers that day had spokenabout a joint meeting of Reform,Conservative, and Orthodoxrabbis, and he spoke about howdamaging this was. The Rebbespoke sharply about theseriousness of the situation andasked R’ Hollander to speak aboutthis in the places he visited.

R’ Hollander, who passed awayJanuary 20, was a distinguishedAmerican rabbi. He served aspresident of the Rabbinical Councilof America and was a member ofthe Agudas HaRabbanim ofAmerica.

His first connection withChabad began in 1940. R’Hollander went to the port towelcome the Rebbe Rayatz whenhe arrived in the United States. Inthe years to come, the connection

grew stronger. After the Rebbeaccepted the Chabad leadership, R’Hollander had several privateaudiences and attended manyfarbrengens. He received muchguidance and instruction from theRebbe regarding his communalwork. R’ Hollander did a greatdeal to give the Rebbe nachas andwas a true friend of Chabad.

MISSION TO RABBI ZEVIN

R’ Hollander was born in theAustro-Hungarian Empire in 1913.He and his family immigrated toNew York when he was nine yearsold. He attended YeshivaUniversity and Brooklyn LawSchool. As a young man, he wasconsidered a talented speaker.Many people flocked to hear thisyoung rabbi who understood theAmerican mentality.

His outstanding abilities earnedhim the election, in 1954, as thepresident of the Rabbinical Councilof America. He was also a memberof Agudas HaRabbanim, andwithin these two organizations, heworked on behalf of AmericanJewry.

In Adar, 1956, he went to EretzYisroel together with Rabbi TzviShechter. The Rebbe sent a specialletter to Agudas Chassidei Chabadin Eretz Yisroel and asked them toarrange for the rabbis to visityeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Ludand in Kfar Chabad, especially thevocational school. In addition, theRebbe asked that they arrangemeetings for them with

obi tuary

Rabbi David Hollander a”h, oldestpulpit rabbi and former president of theRabbinical Council of America, was atrue friend of Chabad. With the Rebbe’sencouragement, he fought against theReform movement and for theamendment of the Mihu Yehudi law. Hesupported FREE and merited manykiruvim from the Rebbe, including longprivate audiences.

A TRUE FRIEND By Shneur Zalman Berger



personalities and rabbis outside ofChabad.

R’ Hollander visited the Rebbefrom the early years of the Rebbe’sleadership, asking for advice andbrachos. A year after his trip toEretz Yisroel, he had his firstpersonal encounter with the Rebbe.At this time, a war was ragingbetween Orthodox, Conservativeand Reform organizations. Each ofthem sought key positions in theAmerican Jewish world. In 1956,certain individuals wanted toinclude Reform and Conservativerepresentatives in the SynagogueCouncil of America and the NewYork Board of Rabbis. Some

Orthodox rabbis were inclined toaccept this idea, but R’ Hollanderand other rabbanim vehementlyrejected it. Rabbanim and rosheiyeshivos issued a p’sak dinforbidding Orthodox rabbis fromjoining rabbinic organizations thatincluded Reform and Conservativerabbis.

In those days of internal strife,R’ Hollander went to the Rebbe,who urged him to continue in hisgood work. R’ Hollander reportedthat a delegation of young rabbiswas about to go to Eretz Yisroelfor the purpose of convincing thechief rabbinate and Chief RabbiHerzog to give their consent to the

inclusion of Reform rabbis inOrthodox organizations. R’Hollander hoped to sabotage theirefforts. The Rebbe asked him tomeet with Rabbi Zevin and to tellhim all the details so he could helphim.

The Rebbe also sent a letter toR’ Zevin, in which he summarizedthe situation and informed himthat R’ Hollander would bemeeting with him and would fill inthe details. The Rebbe added thathe permitted R’ Zevin to tell ChiefRabbi Herzog about his letter.

R’ Hollander worked on anumber of fronts to undermine therabbis’ initiative. He met with



Rabbi Herzog and other rabbanim.He also held a press conference inwhich he eloquently explained thatrabbanim and roshei yeshivosopposed this plan. Upon his returnto the United States, he met withthe Rebbe again to report about hiswork and his meeting with R’Herzog.

Fortunately, the efforts to abortthe initiative were successful.

In the years that followed, R’Hollander often visited the Rebbefor guidance on communal issues.He attended dozens of farbrengensand championed the Rebbe’s viewson Mihu Yehudi and shleimusha’Aretz. He would regularly quotethe Rebbe’s positions at the manymeetings he participated in. R’Hollander fought mightily for theamendment of the Mihu Yehudilaw. The Rebbe held him in greatesteem and asked him to print hissermons, even offering him a loanto pay for the costs of printing.

THE REBBE’S WARNINGR’ Hollander was one of the

few rabbanim who was allowed tovisit the Soviet Union during theyears of oppression and fear. Hevisited Russia eight times in thoseyears and did tremendous work onbehalf of Soviet Jewry. In the bookDadushka, he reminisced aboutthese trips:

“I met the Rebbe two yearsafter he was appointed Nasi of theChabad movement. At that time, Iwas very preoccupied with SovietJewry. I intended to work for theirfreedom nonstop, and let othersmatters slide. I planned to lead adelegation of American rabbis toRussia. For this purpose, I went tothe Russian embassy inWashington and presented a planfor an organized trip. I knew thatthey wouldn’t immediately approveit and indeed, it was only a yearand a half later that they finallygranted approval.

“This was after Stalin had diedand Premier Khrushchev had takenover. The Russian governmentwanted to mollify the West a bit,and they therefore allowed thedelegation of rabbis to visit.

“Throughout the preparationperiod for the trip, I consultedwith the Rebbe. Before the trip, Ihad a yechidus. The Rebbe warnedme to be careful what I said whenI addressed Russian Jews. TheRebbe explained that although Iwould not be harmed, being anAmerican citizen, the Jewishlisteners could be harmed if wesaid things irresponsibly. I didn’t

know if I would be allowed tospeak in the shul in Moscow, butthe Rebbe saw fit to warn me. TheRebbe also said that if Chassidimwould want to meet with me, thesemeetings should be arrangedextremely carefully.

“When we were in Moscow forShabbos, the rabbi of the shul,without any prior notice, told meto address the congregants. Thethought occurred to me to tellthem what Rashi says about Bilam,‘and Bilam got up in the morningand saddled his donkey.’ ‘Hashemsaid, Avrohom their fatherpreceded you, as it says, ‘andAvrohom got up in the morningand saddled his donkey.’’ With thisI meant to encourage the Jews ofMoscow, to tell them that theirenemies would not succeed inharming the Jewish people since‘their father Avrohom precededyou.’

“From Moscow we went toLeningrad. We were accompaniedby Rabbi Shlomo Schleiffer, thechief rabbi of Moscow.

“When I returned to New York,the Rebbe asked me what I spokeabout in my address at the shul.When I told the Rebbe what I had

The Rebbe held R’Hollander in greatesteem and asked

him to print hissermons, evenoffering him a

loan to pay for thecosts of printing.



said, the Rebbe’s reaction was, ‘Is that called beingcareful with your words?’”

R’ Hollander told the Rebbe that he had met arelative of R’ Zevin in Russia. The Rebbe wrote aboutthis to R’ Zevin:

Yesterday, R’ Hollander visited me and he toldme that he and his friends visited the rav in Kiev,Panitsh, and someone there told him that he wasthe husband of the sister-in-law (from his firstmarriage) of R’ Zevin (I don’t know more details).He looked like a man of eighty. He confided that atnight, he puts out the lights and listens to the radiobroadcasts from Eretz Yisroel. Since I understoodfrom R’ Hollander that he did not yet inform you ofthis, and with his many responsibilities, I don’tknow when he will tell you, therefore I have writtenyou.

R’ Hollander made other trips to Russia alone. Hevisited various cities where he met Chassidim whosuffered greatly, like R’ Lazer Nannes (Subbota), whosent a letter with him for the Rebbe.

One time, the Rebbe sent him to visit Kutaisi inGeorgia and Bucharian cities. He also traveled to theCaucasus, Kiev, Odessa, etc. When he made tripsclose to Pesach, he brought shmura matza with him.Sometimes, they allowed him to bring in the matzos,

and sometimes they confiscated them at the airport. On one of his visits, when he went to the shul in

Kiev he met a Jew whom he knew from previousvisits. He asked how he was and how the Jews ofRussia were. The man answered, “About MosheRabbeinu in the basket on the Nile, it says that thedaughter of Pharaoh, ‘opened it and saw him andbehold, a child was crying.’ It doesn’t say that thedaughter of Pharaoh heard Moshe’s crying, but assoon as ‘she saw him,’ it was apparent that ‘the childwas crying.’”

When R’ Hollander returned to New York andrepeated this to the Rebbe, from the look on theRebbe’s face it was obvious that he deeply understoodthe plight of these crying Jews.

HOW DID THE REBBE KNOW?The following is a description of R’ Hollander’s

visits from a Chassid who was in the Soviet Union atthat time, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Marinovsky:

“In 1957, the first delegation of rabbis from theUnited States came to the Soviet Union, RabbisShechter and Hollander. They came to visit the mainshul of Moscow and Rabbi Schleiffer welcomed them.The visit

682 beis moshiach · 2013. 1. 21. · beis moshiach issue 682 5 (rashi explains that the sins of...

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