A PICTURE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS – AND $3,000

What connects a young artist who wants to buy a pair of t’fillin with a resident of Crown Heights who pays $3,000 for a painting of the Rebbe MH”M – and how does all this become clear in an answer in Igros Kodesh?

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

Today, the Wolpin family is on shlichus of the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach at the Upper Galilee Regional Council. They previously lived in Nachalat Har Chabad, where the father, Rabbi Noam Wolpin, served as an educational counselor at the vocational school in Kiryat Malachi.

The following remarkable story took place with one of the students, Ohr Chaim Zindberg, as Rabbi Wolpin was concluding his work at the vocational school and preparing to move to northern Eretz Yisroel. 

“We see plainly how the Rebbe guides everything along its proper path. It can’t get any clearer than that. The Rebbe also gave a clear bracha via Igros Kodesh that led to a very positive change, and he also foresaw what would happen with this young man’s artistic work,” recalled Rabbi Noam Wolpin in a voice filled with emotion.

“Ohr Chaim was not one of my students. Our first meeting took place completely by Divine Providence. One day, as I was walking through the dormitory, I entered one of the rooms and noticed a young man painting the Rebbe on a large canvas board. Hanging on the walls surrounding him was a large and varied collection of pictures of the Rebbe. It didn’t take much to realize that this boy is an extremely gifted artist. The portrait was of such high quality that it looked more like a photograph than a painting.

“We became close and we often held discussions well into the night. This young man was a truly amazing individual whose life’s travails had brought him to where he was, and his use of his artistic talents had proven to be very therapeutic. I knew that I was about to leave my job with the vocational school in favor of a shlichus position while he knew that he was about to complete his studies there.

“Since we wanted to maintain contact with one another, I made some inquiries and discovered that the Tel-Chai Academic College had a special art program. I then suggested that he write a letter to the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach asking about his artwork and whether it would be appropriate for him to learn in this program while engaging in outreach activities during his free time.

The young man happily agreed and wrote a letter to the Rebbe. The answer appears in Vol. 4, Letter #942: 

In my opinion, you need to check the mezuzos in your house, and before going to sleep, learn a few lines in the sichos of my revered and holy father-in-law, the Rebbe, and draw his holy face to the best of your recollection. With the help of G-d Alm-ghty, I hope that he will give me good news that his sleep has improved. With a blessing for a long and good life adding fortitude in Torah, mitzvos, and good deeds.

“We read the answer together; there was no need for anything more. It was clear that the Rebbe was encouraging and supporting him to continue with his artwork and paint his picture as well. As a result, he joined us in our move northward, becoming a virtual member of the family. During the period that followed he continued painting pictures of the Rebbe. Incredibly, for a variety of reasons, this young man had been suffering from a serious case of insomnia. Ever since he had decided to invest most of his time and effort in drawing the Rebbe’s image, his nights passed uninterrupted as the Rebbe had indicated, ‘I hope that he will give me good news that his sleep has improved.’

“We hung the impressive painting in the campus Chabad House and everyone who came in was taken by its great splendor. The idea was to sell it and thereby cover the cost of a strictly kosher pair of t’fillin for Ohr Chaim and for his college art studies. However, none of those visiting the college could possibly afford the high price we were asking for this picture.

“About a month later, I chose to take part in the International Shluchim Conference in Crown Heights. We decided that I should take the painting to ‘Beis Chayeinu – 770’, where there would be a far greater chance of success in selling the portrait at a higher price to cover the young artist’s expenses. 

“While it was extremely difficult and cumbersome to carry such a large piece of artwork wrapped in numerous layers to prevent damage, nevertheless, I took it with me and bore witness to constant examples of Divine Providence throughout the journey.

“As soon as I arrived in Crown Heights, I went into 770 and placed the painting in a prominent spot. Before leaving Eretz Yisroel we thought long and hard over how much to ask from potential buyers. We eventually decided to set the price at $3,000 and from there we would consider marking it down. Several days passed and no one expressed any interest. There were those who looked at the portrait for a long while, however, the high price apparently discouraged them from thinking about buying it. The evening before the Shluchim Conference commenced, I asked the Rebbe for a bracha that the painting would be sold. The truth is I wanted to put my worries to rest on this matter and actually start enjoying the conference.

“The following morning at half past six, as I was going into 770 to daven Shacharis, a longstanding member of the Crown Heights community came up to me and inquired about the painting. He didn’t appear to me as someone who could fork over such a large sum of money. Nevertheless, out of a sense of respect, I told him about the piece of artwork and the young man who created it. After he looked at the painting for a while longer, he asked me to wait. He soon returned, having drawn up a pre-sale agreement for me to sign, assuring him in writing that the painting was an uncopied original. Then, without haggling over the price I was asking, he placed $3,000 in cash in my hand. He told me that he and his wife had been looking for a high-quality oil painting of the Rebbe for quite some time. 

“When I returned to Eretz Yisroel I gave the money directly to the young artist and he immediately used it to pay for his college tuition and buy a pair of Mehudar t’fillin.

“At one of the first opportunities we had, we opened the answer that he had received from the Rebbe just prior to our move to the Upper Galilee and we were quite surprised. While we had focused on the first answer dealing with drawing the Rebbe Rayatz’s picture, a quick look at the letter on the opposite page [Igros Kodesh – Translated Letters] revealed yet another striking prophecy. The Rebbe specified the exact amount for which the painting had been sold a few months earlier, even noting the good news of the purchase of t’fillin that came as a result: 

He gave over to you about the content of our discussion, when he offered to give $3,000 to print the s’farim of my revered and holy father-in-law, the Rebbe, and I replied that he must make certain that the son will start putting on t’fillin every day, and only after he came back again about the money, I told him that there’s no need for three. It should be two and a-half, and this should go for printing the aforementioned s’farim. I hope that he will fulfill the two promises, both regarding t’fillin and the commitment to print, and we can convey two [kinds of] good news at once for all times.

Rabbi Noam Wolpin concludes his unique story on the Rebbe’s portrait with undisguised devotion:

“We see how the Rebbe accompanies us every step of the way. When we read the two answers we felt that the Rebbe was responding to our question with tremendous precision and accuracy.

“Ohr Chaim was most fittingly named, as he continues now to spread light and life. He is completing his studies with an even more amazing painting of the Rebbe. Everyone around him knows about the miracle he was privileged to experience with the Rebbe’s bracha, and ever since he began devoting his time to drawing the Rebbe’s picture, his emotional, spiritual, and physical condition has improved tremendously beyond all measure.”