Inner Connection
Private audience, yechidus, with the Rebbe went far beyond friendly conversations, blessings, or fiscal reports. It meant the pouring of one’s soul and a willing obedience to the Rebbe’s authority. The Avner Institute presents several tender anecdotes highlighting the Rebbe’s range of expression, from paternal to pedagogical, and his equally wide concerns over the personal and professional lives of those who merited to meet with him.
Dedicated in memory of loving memory of Hadassah Lebovic A”h
“They are Still Tears”
Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz relates:
The askan, community leader, was in the middle of yechidus, private audience, when he noticed that something was definitely troubling the Rebbe. The latter’s face appeared lost in thought.
Finally mustering the courage, he said, “The Rebbe seems upset. I hope nothing is wrong?”
The Rebbe sighed, “A newlywed couple came to me and asked for my blessing and permission to go on shlichus, be my emissaries. I said only if they get their parents’ consent.”
“So the parents didn’t consent?” the askan asked.
“Oh yes, in fact, they did. The couple came back to me with their parents’ permission, so I gave them my blessing.”
The Rebbe’s face took on a more serious cast. “But the woman is an only daughter among five brothers, all of them also on shlichus around the world,” and he gave the names of the countries. “Now the parents are alone with all their children far away.”
The Rebbe gazed out the window of his office. “Right now they are at the airport. And they’re crying. Although the tears are tears of joy, they are still tears, and right now I am with them.”
“Urge to Return”
He was off to an international art exhibit. But before boarding the plane, artist Hendel Lieberman wanted to meet with the Rebbe and ask for a blessing.
He managed to secure an appointment, and the yechidus went well. The Rebbe asked him detailed questions about the exhibit.
Suddenly he asked where the artist would be staying.
Casually Hendel Lieberman mentioned the name of a certain hotel.
The Rebbe shook his head. “May I ask that you switch to a more centrally located hotel?” And he gave the name. Reb Hendel, although bewildered, did what he was told.
Two days after he arrived at the hotel, he heard a light knock on his door.
A middle-aged man was standing outside. “May I borrow your tallis and tefillin?”
Reb Hendel was startled. This man was clearly not observant. He was cleanshaven, head uncovered, and his suit and tie hinted at a life in a boardroom, rather than a synagogue. Why would he want the items used for morning prayer service? Nevertheless, Reb Hendel obliged.
The man entered the side room where Reb Hendel kept his tefillin. There he prayed, tears raining down his cheeks. This scene repeated itself for the next few days.
Finally it was time to leave. As Reb Hendel packed up his suitcase, he decided to approach the stranger and ask about the unusual behavior.
The man replied, “When I saw your Chassidic appearance – your beard and peyos, sidelocks, I was reminded of my roots. My family came from that part of the world, and suddenly I felt the urge to return.”
“True Calling”
Hendel Lieberman apparently remained dear to the Rebbe’s heart, as Rabbi Aharon Serebryanski of Melbourne relates:
While learning at 770, I often slept at the home of my uncle, Reb Hendel Lieberman. My uncle was an artist. He also was greatly involved in kiruv, outreach, attracting young men to yeshiva. Often he invited them to his home and told them stories about Russia and Lubavitch. He loved doing this; outreach was a passion, while his art seemed more of a job, something he approached with kabbalas ohl, taking on a yoke.
One night I went to his home and saw him painting. He sat there for hours until it was nearly dawn.
I knew about the Rebbe’s strong desire that my uncle paint, in addition to doing outreach. The Rebbe had repeatedly exhorted him to pursue his artistic talent. Therefore, I decided to tell the Rebbe, hoping it would give him nachas, joy, to see my uncle engaged in his true calling.
I stood in the hallway at 770, waiting for the holy figure to appear. When he did, I approached him and told him about my uncle. A few months later, when I again encountered the Rebbe, he asked me, “What’s with his continuing to paint?”
“What is Most Important”
Rabbi Schneur Zalman Gafni relates:
Forty years ago, when I was a newlywed, I worked a great deal with my friend Rabbi Ezra Shochet, teaching Chassidus to men in Bnei Brak.
Rabbi Shochet later moved to the U.S. In a yechidus, he bitterly complained that despite learning Chassidus with many men, he saw little impact on their conduct.
The Rebbe, however, shook his head. “It is not our job to see that other Jews follow the path of Chabad Chassidus. Our role is to disseminate the teachings to which the Alter Rebbe, our founder, devoted his life.
“We have to make the effort, so that as many Jews as possible study Chassidus. If you see a result, that is nice. But you must realize what is most important.”
“Holiday of Holidays”
Evidently, the Rebbe was never satisfied with one-time efforts, as Rabbi Serebryanski relates:
One of the heads of the famed Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland was a good friend of Rabbi Chaim Gutnick. Their friendship went back a long ways, from the time both had learned in the original Telshe Yeshiva in Lithuania.
Once the rosh yeshiva asked Rabbi Gutnick, “Why is Yud-Tes (19) Kislev called the Chag HaChagim, the Holiday of Holidays?”
Sometime later, in yechidus, Rabbi Gutnick mentioned this question to the Rebbe.
“What did you answer?” the Rebbe asked.
“I told him that since Chabad Chassidim have a number of special days in the calendar, they call the loftiest day Chag HaChagim.”
The Rebbe waved his hands expansively. “Yud-Tes Kislev is Chag HaChagim, the holiday that gives life to all holidays. Without learning Chassidus, which we were given on Yud-Tes Kislev, we would have no inner connection with yetzias mitrayim – the Exodus from Egypt – or any other holiday.”
The Rebbe’s face beamed. “Yud-Tes Kislev is the day that infuses all holidays with the ability to arouse within us a festive spirit. That is why it is literally Chag HaChagim, Holiday of Holidays.”
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