The Rebbe’s Comment in Our 13-Page Report from Canada

By COLlive reporter

With the pandemic not allowing for Merkos Shlichus bochurim to visit remote Jewish communities and individuals this summer, community news service COLlive.com launches a new series of interviews with Chassidim who share memories of their own visits in past years.

The third interviewee is Rabbi Daniel Goldberg, a writer, editor and a longtime educator at United Lubavitch Yeshiva in Crown Heights.

Have an interesting Merkos Shlichus story or encounter to share? Email us at [email protected].

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In 5725 (1964), I traveled to Israel to study at the Chabad Yeshiva in Kfar Chabad. After three years of studying with the famed Mashpia Reb Shlomo Chaim Kesselman, I merited to spend a year with the Rebbe, learning at 770.

As my first summer neared, I was excited to hear that the 770 Bochurim would be sent on Merkos Shlichus. Yet, having still been in the middle of my first year coming from Israel, I would not have the opportunity to be sent on Merkos Shlichus. As there was a directive from the Rebbe that one may only leave Eretz Yisroel with the purpose to either study Torah or to get married. I would have to first complete a full year of studying at 770.

At the time, my disappointment knew no words. I immediately began counting down until next summer, when I’d merit to go on this special Shlichus.

B’hashgach Pratis during that summer I spent at 770, a Shlichus of its own fell upon me. My friend and fellow Englishman Chaim Farro happened to once be in the Mazkirus office when a Cambridge graduate student suddenly walked in. The student explained that he traveled to the US researching and writing a study on trending Judaism in America. Chaim being English as well, was glad to assist this student and asked me to help accommodate him during his stay in New York.

Turns out, this student was Jonathan Sacks, later to become Chief Rabbi of the UK. We assisted him throughout the summer while learning chassidus and introducing him to Lubavitch, a tale for another time.

In the summer of 1969, after months of waiting, I was finally chosen to be sent on Merkos Shlichus. I was designated to go with Binyamin Cohen – today Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah Melbourne – throughout Southern Ontario in Canada

At the time, a large part of Merkos Shlichus was selling Merkos publications. Even in a city like Toronto, Lubavitch was still not very well known. As such, the idea of selling books, gave us an open door to many of the Yidden we met.

One particular focus we had, as per the directive of Rabbi Mordechai Aizik Hodakov prior to our departure on the Shlichus, was to discuss Torah learning with whoever we met. Something which we always made sure to do as well as always discussing the Rebbe’s Sichos with whoever we met. From prestigious Rabbonim and Reform leaders, to the ordinary couple we found in the phone book.

I recall, when visiting Niagara Falls, we met a Russian Immigrant who remembered the Rebbe Rashab passing through Rudnia when he was young. It was really a whole other generation.

Overall, the Merkos Shlichus experience gave me a new outlet on the world, Lubavitch and Shlichus. Something which I believe was partially the reason Bochurim were sent on this Shlichus.

Interestingly enough, my highlight of Merkos Shlichus happened only once we completed our trip. Upon returning to New York. We were asked to write a detailed report documenting details of our trip.

I sat down and wrote a lengthy English report consisting of 13 pages expounding in detail about each Jewish community, current situation in Yiddishkeit as far as Jewish education, Mikvah, etc. I addressed it to Merkos and gave it to Rabbi Hodakov.

To my surprise, the Mazkir Rabbi Binyomin Klein called me over and told me there’s an answer from the Rebbe waiting for me. I immediately came to Mazkirus to find that the Rebbe read my entire Duch and commented as follows:

דו”ח –לדוגמא

וראויים ל”יישר כח” מיוחד ע”ז – ביחד עם תמי’ שכנראה קיצרו ביותר בשקו”ט [בשקלא וטריא] עם רבנים וכיו”ב בחדו”ת [בחידושי תורה] – למרות ההוראה בזה.

“A true example of a Duch, they deserve a special Yasher Koiach for this.

“Yet, together with surprise, that it seems they only had short discussions with Rabbonim in the matters of Chidushei Torah – Notwithstanding the directive in this.”

What’s even more interesting is, that on the 8th page of my report, I noted the following:

“Our principal intention in the report is not merely to provide an account of our activities during the Shlichus, but to also furnish information we consider useful both to Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, and also to next year’s Shluchim. We therefore strongly recommend that the report be shown to next year’s Shluchim, as we ourselves found that we could have saved much time, if we had had the background information accessible from previous Shluchim.”

The Rebbe circled this entire paragraph, and wrote “נחוץ במאוד” – “This would be very necessary.”

This demonstrated to us the Rebbe’s interest in the Merkos Shlichus program as shown by his reading of the entire 13-page report and commenting on it.