5 Short Stories About the Rebbe Rashab

By Shlomie Veshedsky

I would like to share with you a couple of stories of the Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn, the fifth Rebbe of Lubavitch, in honor of his birthday on the 20th of Cheshvan (5621-5680 / 1860–1920).

I would like to start with a few stories from his childhood, which is in line with what our sages say [1]: by examining the seedling of a fruit tree one can already determine the quality of the fruit that will grow from it. The same is true with the tzadikim – the righteous- from their youngest of ages one can already determine from their conduct, that they will grow up to be amongst the righteous.

The following stories will reflect the Rebbe Rashab’s tremendous yiras shomayim (fear of heaven) and ahavas yisroel [2]:

1. Double sin?

The Rebbe Rashab’s mother, Rebbetzin Rivka, related: When her son was four or five years old, a tailor came to her home to bring a dress he made for her. Out of curiosity, the young Sholom Dovber pulled out a piece of material that was sticking out of the tailor’s pocket, which was the leftover fabric from the dress he sowed for me. Though it belonged to me, it was obvious that the tailor intended to keep the fabric for himself. The tailor got embarrassed and started excusing himself, saying that he forgot to give me the leftover material.

After the tailor left their home, the Rebbetzin admonished her son for shaming the tailor by pulling out the leftover fabric from his pocket. Upon hearing this, young Sholom Dovber started crying bitterly, realizing that he embarrassed a fellow Jew.

A few days later, he approached his father the Rebbe Maharash and asked him what is the tikun [3] for the transgression of shaming a fellow Jew. His father wondered why he wanted to know, to which young Sholom Dovber answered that he is just asking this out of curiosity.

His mother, who overheard the conversation, asked the young boy why didn’t you tell father the whole story of what happened with the tailor?

Young Sholom Dovber responded: “It’s not enough that I embarrassed a fellow Jew, I should sin further by speaking lashon harah about myself and the tailor!?” [4]

2. How a Rebbe should act

When the Rebbe Rashab and his brother Reb Shneur Zalman Aharon (known by the acronym of his name: Raza”h) were small children, they would often play Rebbe and chossid – after all, they grew up in a home where Rebbe and chossid was a constant theme.

The Raza”h once played the Rebbe, while his younger brother the Rebbe Rashab played chosid. The Rashab came over to his brother and asked him for a tikun for the transgression of once shelling three nuts on Shabbos. [5]

The Raza”h conveyed to him a tikun – he should daven on Shabbos from the siddur, starting from the Lechu Neranena prayer on Friday night, and in general he should pray from the siddur and not by-heart. Furthermore, even when he makes a blessing over food it should also be from the siddur.

Their mother Rebbetzin Rivkah noticed that young Sholom Dovber was not following his brother Raza”h’s directions. When she asked him why he wasn’t listening to the advice of his brother, the Rebbe Rashab answered that his brother’s tikun would not be effective since he is not a rebbe and the proof is that he didn’t sigh….

The Rebbe Rashab continued, in reference to a tikun that a rebbe gives: it’s not the advice that helps, it’s the sigh that helps (accomplishes the tikun). The Rebbe Rashab cried bitterly over the occurrence with the nuts on Shabbos.

3. The bread exchange

In the town of Lubavitch there lived a simple Jew by the name Paishe who was the town wagon-driver (affectionately known by the nickname ‘Paishe der bal agala’). As a child, he studied in cheder together with the Rebbe Rashab. Therefore, chassidim being aware of this, would often ask Paishe to share some of his memories of the Rebbe Rashab. Paishe would always reply: “What do you want from me!? I’m a simple Jew. I don’t remember anything!”

On one occasion, chassidim nudged Paishe quite a bit to share something with them and gave him some vodka. Suddenly, Paishe opened up and he related the following:

There were different classes of people in Lubavitch such as wealthier families and poorer ones. I was unfortunately from the poorer families while the Rebbe Rashab came from a wealthy family (as is known, his father the Rebbe Maharash was very wealthy). I would come to school every day with a sandwich for lunch made from black bread, while the Rebbe would bring a sandwich made of white bread.

Every day, the Rebbe Rashab would approach me and offer to switch sandwiches with me. He would take my black bread while I would take his white bread. Understandably, I didn’t need much convincing. I immediately accepted his offer.

Do you understand why the Rebbe wanted my black bread!? Because my mother used to rub fresh garlic onto the hard bread and the Rebbe simply liked hard bread garnished with fresh garlic, he concluded.

It is self-understood that the deed of the rebbe rashab to exchange his sandwich with Paishe’s every day was an expression of his immense ahavas yisroel already in his early childhood. [7]

4. Mincha or Tea

Two of the Rebbe Rashab’s closest chassidim R’ Yitzchok Yoel Rafalovitch and R’ Shmuel Gurary [8] were drinking a cup of tea in the foyer, in front of the Rebbe’s study. Within their discussion on topics of Torah and Chassidus, they started debating whether when the time comes to daven mincha and one desires to drink a cup of tea, is one obligated to first daven Mincha, or is one permitted to have a cup of tea first, and then daven Mincha.

Suddenly, the Rebbe walked out of his study. They shared their discussion with the Rebbe, to which he commented: “If one wishes to drink tea with peace of mind, then he should daven Mincha first. However, if one desires to daven Mincha with peace of mind, then it’s okay to drink a cup of tea beforehand!” [9]

5. The more suitable Yeshiva

The esteemed chassid R’ Shneur Zalman Duchman once related the following:

My brother R’ Boruch Duchman studied for a year in the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim in Shchedrin (Shtzedrin), Ukraine. [10]. In the following year of 5673-1912 he traveled to Lubavitch to spend the month of Tishrei with the Rebbe Rashab.

For the new year, my brother wanted to study in the Yeshiva in Lubavitch to be in close proximity to the Rebbe. He submitted an application to be accepted to the yeshiva and was tested by the yeshiva staff in nigle and chassidus.

He passed the exams with flying colors, but the yeshiva staff still refused to accept him and told him to go back to Shchedrin.

After Sukkos, he went in for yechidus with the Rebbe Rashab and pleaded to be allowed to study in Lubavitch. The Rebbe responded: “One must obey the yeshiva staff.”

Needless to say, my brother was devastated.

In honor of 19 of Kislev [11] of that year, my father R’ Ber Mendel Duchman traveled to Lubavitch. While in yechidus with the Rebbe, he expressed that he was in fragile health.

The Rebbe commented: “Your children are also in fragile health. Your younger son (referring to Boruch) is also fragile. I, therefore, sent him again to study in the yeshiva in Shchedrin since materialy the conditions there are better.” [12]

SOURCES:
[1] Talmud Brachos 48a.
[2] To love your fellow jew as yourself. Based on a verse in Vayikra 19:18.
[3] To spiritually repair & mend one’s ways after succumbing to the folly of transgression.
[4] Translated & adapted from Sefer Hatoldos Admu”r Harashab – Chanoch Lenaar page 9.
[5] Later he found out that the Alter Rebbe rules in the siddur that one should avoid eating nuts on Shabbos unless it was shelled before shabbos.
[6] Translated from the Rebbe’s Reshimos Hayoman pages 276 – 279.
[7] I heard this story from my father A”H, as well from Rabbi Shmuel Butman.
[8] Rabbi rafalovitch was the rav in Kremenchuk, Russia. Reb Shmuel Gurarie was known as the Rebbe’s gevir (philanthropist) as he supported many causes.
[9] Translated from L’shaima Ozen authored by Rabbi Shneur Zalman Duchman
[10] Which was hundreds of miles away from the town of Lubavitch in today’s Russia.
[11] The nineteenth of Kislev is the day the Alter Rebbe was released from prison (first arrest).
[12] Translated from L’shaima Ozen authored by Rabbi Shneur Zalman Duchman