On Entering the “New Apartment”

By COLlive reporter

Congregation Beis Shmuel Chabad in Crown Heights held a number of Chassidic farbrengens over Sukkos with special guest speakers who shared inspiring thoughts and stories.

One of them was led by Rabbi Levi Garelik, a part-time rabbi at Bais Shmuel and an halachic authority who divides his time between Brooklyn and Brussels, Belgium.

Sitting in the Sukkah, shul members sang together Chabad nigunim and heard Rabbi Garelik tell memories of his family’s unique connection with the Rebbe as Shluchim in Milan, Italy.

Rabbi Garelik also brought with him precious letters written by the Rebbe and the Frierdiker Rebbe and showed participants how deep insights can be learned from them.

Rabbi Garelik exhibited letters the Rebbe would send in the early years of the nesius, how the Rebbe would make many carbon copies of a sample letter addressed to a letter “yud,” which he would then change to the first letter of the name of the person who he was writing to.

One particular letter, shared with COLlive.com, is dated 25 Elul 5700 to the “parochial school” in Chicago, Illinois.

In it, the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe thanks them for the congratulatory letter for “our arrival, in a good and successful time” to “the new apartment.”

The letter is referring to the building purchased in 1940 as the home for the Frierdiker Rebbe and the center of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Known by its address, 770 Eastern Parkway, the triple-pointed red brick building is today considered by many to be an iconic site in Judaism.

In the letter, the Frierdiker Rebbe expresses his wish that the blessings he received from “my friends who are close to my heart” shall be fulfilled by Hashem.

Also shown were documents such as the list of the Slichos we say, that was sent out by Reb Avrohom Pariz to all the Chasidim, as well as the instruction of the Rebbe that Chasidim should say “Lamnatzeiach” on days we don’t say Tachanun.

Other farbrengens were held with Rabbi Yanki Winner, Mashpiah from Melbourne, Australia and Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, the Rebbe’s Mazkir.