What did the Rebbe answer the survivor who had lost contact with his father during WWII and wanted to know if he was still alive? * What one-word blessing did the Rebbe give to a Vizhnitzer Chassid that produced a miraculous result? * What did the Rebbe inquire of R’ Moshe Yaroslavsky regarding the hosting of the guests for Tishrei? * Never before published stories from life in 770, told by R’ Boruch Kahana, mashpia in Tomchei T’mimim, Kiryat Gat.
THE 770 DIARY
During the year 5750, I had the privilege of writing the diary for the Beis Chayeinu newsletter, which began to be publicized at that time in Eretz Yisroel in an orderly way (by my brother-in-law, R’ Yitzchok Brandler), and the Rebbe encouraged this strongly.
In response to Issue #17, which was sent in to the Rebbe, the Rebbe answered: Received and t’shuos chein, and certainly they will continue with this, and whoever specifies more is praiseworthy etc. I will mention it at the tziyun.
After that, I wrote to the Rebbe with a request for a blessing that the involvement in writing the diary for Beis Chayeinu not interfere with my learning. The Rebbe circled the words “not interfere” and wrote: And to the contrary, I will mention it at the tziyun.
THE REBBE’S CONCERN FOR HIS GUESTS
In Tishrei 5748 (Shnas Hakhel), a very large crowd visited 770. R’ Moshe Yaroslavsky a”h, who oversaw Hachnasas Orchim, did not know where he would find places for all the guests to stay. He was very worried about this.
One day, I was standing in the hallway near Gan Eden HaTachton when the Rebbe came out of his room and noticed R’ Moshe standing nearby. The Rebbe asked him, “Is there food?” R’ Moshe nodded in the affirmative. The Rebbe asked, “Are there drinks?” R’ Moshe nodded again. The Rebbe asked, “Are there places to sleep?” R’ Moshe was silent.
The Rebbe then said to him with a smile, “Nu, there will be that too,” as he raised both hands.
CLEAR VISION
I think this happened in 5749.
One day, when the Rebbe entered for Mincha, there was a Bucharian Jew there in the shul, wearing a Bucharian kippa. When the Rebbe passed by him, the man asked the Rebbe something in Russian. The Rebbe stopped and listened to his question. Then the Rebbe suddenly lifted his head as though looking at something up above and said, “Da (yes),” and continued walking to his place.
At the end of the davening, we went over to the man and asked him about his encounter with the Rebbe. The man said that during World War II he was cut off from his father and since then, he had lost track of his father’s whereabouts. He asked the Rebbe whether his father is still alive and the Rebbe told him, yes.
WHAT ABOUT THE KADDISH?
On Tisha B’Av 5750, when the Rebbe left shul at the end of Kinos, one of the bachurim immediately began to say a siyum on a masechta over the sound system as the Rebbe entered the elevator to go to his office. When the Rebbe began leaving the elevator, he stopped and listened to the siyum that could be heard over the sound system even upstairs.
Of course, the bachur, who was downstairs, did not know that the Rebbe was listening to his siyum. When he finished saying the “Yehi Ratzon” that is said after a siyum, it was quiet. Then the Rebbe asked, “He’s not saying Kaddish? At the end of all Gemaros the Kaddish is printed.”
The Rebbe waited a few moments and they told the Rebbe that the bachur had left. The Rebbe made a dismissive motion with his hand and went to his office.
THE REBBE’S AHAVAS YISROEL
Erev Yom Kippur before Mincha, the Rebbe would come in with a big paper bag full of hundreds of coins. He would put a few coins into each of the pushkas that were on the tables along the length of the shul.
One year, as he did this, the coins were used up. The bachurim noticed and waited for when the Rebbe would put down the empty bag to have the privilege of acquiring it, but as soon as the Rebbe put it down, the secretary rushed to take it.
The Rebbe said to the secretary, “What do you care?”
The secretary put down the bag and one of the bachurim promptly took it.
18 COINS ON 18 ELUL
On 18 Elul one year, when the Rebbe left the small zal at the end of Mincha, a bachur was standing in the hallway with a mekurav of his. The secretary pointed at the mekurav and told the Rebbe that he was getting married that day. The Rebbe put his hand into the pocket of his sirtuk and removed a handful of nickels and gave it to him.
We went over to him and told him to count the coins. Amazingly, it was exactly 18 on the 18th of Elul.
SALVATION IN ONE WORD
One day, a Vizhnitzer Chassid came into 770 and told how for many years he did not have children. He went to many doctors and nothing helped. He received countless brachos from many Admorim but did not have children.
The previous year, he passed by the Rebbe and when he asked for a bracha, the Rebbe said one word, “b’karov.” Sure enough, that year the man’s wife gave birth.
SURPRISE SIYUM
On Erev Pesach 5748, Shacharis took place in the Rebbe’s house on President Street. There was a relatively small crowd, only about 20 people. At the end of davening, the Rebbe asked, “Did anyone prepare a siyum of a masechta?”
One of the bachurim told the secretary that he had prepared a siyum on the tractate Makos. When the secretary told the Rebbe, the Rebbe looked at the bachur and said, “It should be with great success.”
The Rebbe immediately began saying a sicha that lasted five minutes, in the course of which the Rebbe made a brief siyum on Shas and connected it to the end and beginning of Rambam and the beginning and end of the five books of the Torah. After the sicha, the Rebbe went up to his room.
A few minutes later, the personal aide, R’ Sholom Ber Gansbourg, came down from the second floor with three small bottles of wine that the Rebbe gave as his participation in the siyum that the bachur made. In his other hand he had 18 dollars for the bachur who made the siyum.
VODKA FROM THE REBBE
One year on the morning of Erev Pesach, right after Shacharis, the Rebbe sent through the secretary, Rabbi Chadakov, a bottle of vodka from Russia for the bachurim, so they would finish it before the final time for eating chometz. On the bottle it was written (apparently by the one who sent it to him), “Der Rebbe zol zain gezunt. Dovid.” Of course, we bachurim happily said L’chaim on it.
ESCORTING THE ELDER RAV
On Chol HaMoed Pesach 5748, Rabbi Efraim Yolles, Av Beis Din in Philadelphia, came to visit the Rebbe as he did every Chol HaMoed. He spent fifteen minutes with the Rebbe in Gan Eden HaTachton.
At the end of the yechidus, the Rebbe came out to escort him toward the main door while blessing him. When the Rebbe approached the door, he noticed two women from the rav’s family standing on either side of the door. The Rebbe pointed at one of them and motioned to her to move to the other side. When she moved, he proceeded and stood in the doorway and waited until Rav Yolles entered the car.
VISUAL ESCORT
In the summer of 5749, the Chief Rabbis, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Rabbi Shapira, had yechidus with the Rebbe and spent over an hour with him. At the end of the yechidus, the Rebbe went out to escort them and stood in the main entrance to 770.
We bachurim stood on the two sides of the path and sang, “Ki B’Simcha Seitzei’u” and the Rebbe encouraged the singing with his hand.
After the rabbis entered their car and left, the secretary motioned that they left already, but the Rebbe continued to stand and escort them with a look off into the distance for a long time, as we continued singing. The secretary motioned again, but the Rebbe continued standing there. This went on for 25 minutes; it seemed highly unusual.
Afterward, we calculated that this was the amount of time it took for them to reach the airport, to where they were heading directly to fly back to Eretz Yisroel.
It seems the Rebbe was providing them with a heavenly escort with his gaze as they drove to the airport.
GIVE HIM A HUNDRED
In 5750, an old Yemenite Jew came to the Rebbe from Moshav Bareket and spent a long time in 770. Before returning to Eretz Yisroel, he went to the Rebbe for dollars. He told the Rebbe that he was returning to Eretz Yisroel and wanted dollars for his friends.
The Rebbe told the secretary, “Give him a hundred.” The secretary handed the Rebbe a bundle of a hundred singles and the Rebbe gave it to the man, so he could give them out to his friends.
PLEASANT SURPRISE
One day in 5750, R’ Chaim Gutnick a”h arrived at 770 from Australia. He walked in just at the end of Mincha. He stood at the last door at the end of the zal downstairs.
When the Rebbe passed near him and noticed him, he stopped and said with a smile, “All good things come unexpectedly.”
A SUDDEN SICHA WITH A SURPRISING BRACHA
Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5749 at 7:10, a few minutes after learning Nigleh, most of the bachurim went to eat. Only a few bachurim remained in 770.
Suddenly, R’ Yonasan Hackner came rushing downstairs. He was in charge of the sound system and he was holding a microphone. He said the Rebbe would soon be coming down to say a sicha. We immediately gathered close to the lectern.
The Rebbe came down wearing a silk sirtuk (which was a novelty at the time for a weekday) and began saying a sicha. Only about twenty of us bachurim stood around as well as a few of Anash. In the middle of the sicha, the Rebbe said, “There should be good shidduchim” (not a typical thing to say).
It was only at the end of the sicha that more people began to come.