By COLlive reporter
The Stropkover Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Shalom Halberstam of Jerusalem, delivered an inspirational talk to frum Jewish businessmen at Chabad of Melbourne CBD in the city’s major business district.
Some eager attendees took off work or traveled from Caulfield to meet the rabbi known for promoting Ahavas Yisroel and running several yeshivas and kolelim in Jerusalem and other cities in Israel.
He was introduced by Rabbi Dovid Leib Shmerling, Assistant Rabbi of Chabad CBD, who noted the long-standing close ties between Lubavitch and Stropkov, the chassidic group which originated from a town in the Presov Region of Slovakia.
The Stropkover Rebbe, a graduate of the Chabad Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim in Lod, Israel, began with discussing a peculiarity in the Parsha.
Rashi says that one should only be ‘reproachful’ (מוכיח) immediately prior to his death, he said. “But isn’t it sometimes a mitzvah to rebuke a person who is doing wrong?” he asked.
The Stropkover answered that while rebuke is sometimes a necessity, the Hebrew word of ‘mochiach’ also means to prove.
“At the end of Moshe’s life, with the benefit of hindsight, Moshe could demonstrate that the path of Hashem and Torah are the right path and the good path. Moshe’s words were not only addressed the generation of the Midbar. Rather, he was speaking all Jews of all generation, for a Tzadik’s voice is eternal,” he said.
The Stropkover Rebbe also passionately discussed how lucky we are to have such a close loving relationship with Hashem, to the extent that we address Hashem in the second person, “Baruch Ata,'” rather than the reverential third person.
Commenting on the battle against Hamas in Israel, he encouraged the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Mezuza campaign and commented that we write ‘Shin Daled Yud’ on the visible side of the Mezuza because it spells out Shomer Dalsos Yisroel (protector of Israel’s doors).
He said it alludes to Hashem’s care for Bnei Yisroel, and Shomea Divrei Hashem which alludes to Bnai Yisroel’s dedication to Hashem.
Attendees left inspired and with thanks to Rabbi Chaim Herzog, Director of Chabad of Melbourne CBD, for arranging this special event.
We were zoche to host the Stropkover rebbe in our home over the years. He is a very special yid with a tremdous amount of ahavas yisroel. Moshiach now!
Very nice comment
As a Stropkover myself I intimately know of the close warm relationship between the two Chasiduses. Whenever I speak with my Rebbe Shlita he constantly reminds me that I need to keep up with Chitas as well as learning Lubavitch Chassidus. This article further demonstrates the love that the Stropkover has for Lubavitch. May this demonstration of Ahavas Yisroel serve to bring us closer to the ultimate redemption with Moshiach Tzikeinu.