Rabbi Rabinowitz, a rabbi in the Bronx, would sit in a corner of his shul and learn. Strangely enough, he did not sit at the head of the table. He sat on the right side. That is where R’ Michel Vishedsky found him. R’ Michel was even more surprised when he wanted to sit in the empty seat at the front of the shul and the rav stopped him, politely but firmly. “Nobody sits there,” he said.
What do Slobodka, Skver, Kherson & Kopust have in common? * The Frierdiker Rebbe: “The situation of the ritual baths (Mikwoth) in Russia is very bad” * “This issue has been a burning issue” * In this week’s installment we present the Frierdiker Rebbe’s campaign to repair existing Mikvahs and build new Mikvahs across the Soviet Union.
A soul descended into Lubavitch on 12 Tammuz 5640. A little boy, Yosef Yitzchok, was raised by his father while still benefiting from his grandfather’s input for his first three years. * Presented for Yud-Beis Tammuz.
In the summer 1929 the Frierdiker Rebbe embarked from Europe to Israel and then to the United States of America for the purpose of fundraising for the Jews in Russia * During the month of Elul 5689 and Tishrei 5690 (1929) the Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rashag met twice with representatives of the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) * In a series of documents and letters never published before, we present a short report on the first meeting from the point of view of the Frierdiker Rebbe, and a detailed report on the second meeting, from the point of view of the JDC officers
Among the thousands of families who live in Crown Heights today, only a few dozen were present in the first years of the Rebbe’s nesius, and only very few merited basking in the presence of the sixth nasi, the Rebbe Rayatz, seeing him daven and being blessed by him in yechidus. One of those few is R’ Yehuda Leib (Leibel) Posner, the son of the famous Chassid R’ Sholom Posner a”h, who was one of the T’mimim in Lubavitch, about whom the Rebbe Rayatz said, “Sholom is mine.”
Uplifting the world in this way is in virtue of “Beis Rabbeinu,” located in the Lower Hemisphere. Beis Rabbeinu is the place from which light shines forth to the rest of the world.
Shvat,” means “shivtei moshlim – the scepters of rulers.” This is especially evident in the rule of the Davidic dynasty, as it is said, “the scepter [of the dynasty] of Yehuda will never be withdrawn from (Dovid and his descendants – the rulers of the Diaspora in Babylon, who assert their dominion b’sheivet, with a scepter) until the advent of Shilo” (a reference to Melech HaMoshiach), regarding whom it is said, “A sheivet (a king, ruler, and dictator) will rise up among the Jewish people” – “this refers to Melech HaMoshiach.”
Now begins a new stage in the ongoing avoda of Yosef, extending to future generations – “And Yosef saw Efraim’s children of the third generation.”
In the wake of the Rebbe Rayatz’s histalkus, the capacity has been granted to the seventh generation (corresponding to the s’fira of Malchus), to experience the ultimate revelation of 770. * All the people of our generation – men, women, and children – comprise the s’fira of Malchus. * From Chapter Six of Rabbi Shloma Majeski’s Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is the compiler’s emphasis.)
This is also the reason why the passing of tzaddik [the Rebbe Rayatz] is expressed by the term “hilula,” and not “histalkus.” Notwithstanding all the interpretations of “histalkus” – being an extremely lofty revelation of G-dliness, G-d’s light shining in a manner of siluk, transcendence, etc., it still does not express the ultimate intent – that this revelation is channeled into a specific avoda and corresponding action, as well as giving attention to detail in particular matters of the sort.
What took place on Purim 5681, the first Purim after the passing of the Rebbe Rashab? * They knew what the regime did with those who broke the law. But the Rebbe did not stop the simcha and niggunim for even a moment. He continued until those evil ones left without saying a word about all the “crimes” which they had witnessed.
“Although there are those who are embarrassed to say this, this Chassid wasn’t embarrassed and wrote the truth.”
From a sicha of the Rebbe Rayatz on the night of Simchas Torah 5707/1947.
January 31, 2017