R’ Berel Weiss’ friends and acquaintances say about him that he was first a Chassid and then a philanthropist. * From when he first became connected to the Rebbe, he did not make a move in business before receiving the Rebbe’s bracha. To him, whatever the Rebbe said was holy of holies. * We spoke with some people who were close with him, who told us the fascinating story of how he came to Chabad, about private audiences with the Rebbe, and miracles that he experienced.
Four years ago, R’ Berel Weiss, the Chassid and philanthropist from Los Angeles, passed away at the age of 85. R’ Berel had gone to LA after the Holocaust and was brought close to Chabad by the shliach, R’ Shmuel Dovid Raitchik.
R’ Berel had the privilege of supporting many Torah institutions and was in the forefront when it came to tz’daka and chesed. His home was open to all and he was known for his blessed work on behalf of the public.
HE ALMOST MET THE REBBE RAYATZ
R’ Berel came from a Chassidic family in the Siebenburgen (Transylvania) area of Romania. He learned by the local rav, R’ Yosef the shochet. The melamed was a Chassidic Jew who incorporated Chassidic stories in his lessons and instilled love for Chassidus, yiras Shamayim, and love for tzaddikim in his students.
The melamed once spoke about the Baal HaTanya’s Shulchan Aruch. When R’ Berel asked him, what is the “Shulchan Aruch HaRav,” the melamed raised his hand and said, “The Shulchan Aruch HaRav was a student of the holy Maggid and the Maggid said about him, hilchasa k’Rav (the halacha is according to Rav).” R’ Yosef said the grandchildren of the Rav lived in Lubavitch and they were Admurim. These few words later changed R’ Berel’s life.
After the war, R’ Berel was sick and he was hospitalized in a transit camp in Germany. As soon as he recovered, he began looking for ways to continue his Torah studies. He obtained Jewish newspapers and in one of them he saw an ad that said the Lubavitcher Rebbe was in New York. When he read this, he remembered what his teacher said about the Shulchan Aruch HaRav and his descendants in Lubavitch and he decided he had to go to America where the Rebbe was.
R’ Berel arrived in New York in the summer of 1948. During his first week there, his kalla suggested that they go together to visit her aunt who lived in Williamsburg. Her aunt and uncle were very happy to see that their niece had become engaged to a learned bachur and told him that their son learned in the Lubavitcher yeshiva.
Amazed by this turn of events, he told them that he wanted to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The uncle advised him that on Motzaei Yom Tov, when his son went to the Rebbe, Berel could join him. However, Hashem wanted otherwise and when Yom Tov was over, R’ Berel was so sound asleep that his relatives did not want to wake him up and he lost the opportunity to see the Rebbe Rayatz.
He received an invitation from his uncle who lived in California to go live with him in Los Angeles where the weather was better for him. Thus, more years passed before he came to Lubavitch.
FIRST CONNECTION WITH CHABAD
R’ Berel married in California. About a year later, R’ Shmuel Dovid Raitchik went to LA on shlichus from the Rebbe Rayatz. R’ Raitchik’s Chassidic conduct reminded R’ Berel about authentic Jewish life in Jewish towns before the war and they formed a close bond.
In Elul 5717/1957, before R’ Raitchik went to the Rebbe, R’ Berel met him and wanted to send along a kvittel with him, as is customary among Polish Chassidim. R’ Raitchik took the kvittel from him along with a nice sum of money, and when he returned from the Rebbe he brought with him a piece of lekach and some mashke which he had received from the Rebbe, for R’ Berel. R’ Berel said l’chaim with R’ Raitchik and one could say that from this point on, he became mekushar to the Rebbe.
He began asking the Rebbe before doing any business deal and was outstandingly successful. Under R’ Raitchik’s influence, he began sending maamud money to the Rebbe and saw openly that from that point on, all gateways and channels were open for him.
R’ Berel was a big baal tz’daka and gave special attention to all, to a rosh yeshiva as well as to a homeless person. Even if he did not have ready cash, he would borrow money in order to be able to give tz’daka. He supported and helped R’ Raitchik and also gave him money to buy handwritten manuscripts for the Rebbe.
In general, R’ Shmuel Dovid would collect money for various projects of the Rebbe and would give the money to the Rebbe. One time, R’ Berel said to someone he knew, “When Raitchik comes to you, give him a blank check and the Rebbe will decide how much to make it out for.” The man listened to him and gave the check. A few weeks later, he received a call from the bank in which he was told that the check was made out for $4000. Although in those days that was a significant sum, he approved the check. Several weeks later he earned $40,000 in a business deal.
WHAT CAPTIVATED R’ BEREL
In those days, R’ Berel bought some old age homes as a result of which he wanted to buy a large quantity of beds instead of renting them. Someone promised to lend him the money he needed, but after a while the person said he couldn’t give him the loan.
While R’ Berel thought about what to do next, the salesman from the bed company came to his office in the company of a gentile who was his supervisor. When he told them that he was looking for someone to lend him the balance of the funds, the gentile asked how much he needed. R’ Berel stated an amount and the gentile said he had a fund that he used for loans to good customers. He did not know how much he had in the fund but he thought he would be able to lend him most of the money he needed. In the end, R’ Berel was able to get the entire amount, $10,000, as a loan, at low interest.
R’ Berel attributed his miraculous success to the Rebbe’s bracha and decided he must travel to 770. On Chol HaMoed Sukkos he went to 770 for the first time. He was used to what happens by Poilishe Admurim that a Chassid sees the Rebbe “to give shalom,” but R’ Raitchik explained that in Chabad it’s different and you could not just walk in and see the Rebbe. The next morning, on the third day of Chol HaMoed, R’ Berel saw the Rebbe for the first time.
Back then, there was no special platform for the Rebbe yet, and he stood near the wall. R’ Berel took a spot where he could see and waited eagerly for Hallel. He was sure he would see a major production with the Rebbe’s naanuim (shaking of the lulav) as other Admurim did. He put his dalet minim aside and waited for the Rebbe’s naanuim. Surprisingly, the Rebbe took the lulav and esrog and did the requisite naanuim without any outlandish gesticulations. R’ Berel noticed that the Rebbe drew the four minim toward his heart which is not customary by Polish Chassidim. He also noticed that the Rebbe spent a bit more time on the words, “Ana Hashem, hoshi’a na.”
After the Hoshaanas, they sang “Hoshi’a es Amecha” with great vigor. After the davening, the Rebbe left the shul. Since outwardly, the Rebbe had not done anything special, no shaking of the lulav more than usual and not raising his voice, R’ Berel stood and watched the Rebbe’s holy face. Right after that t’filla with the Rebbe, R’ Berel realized that here was something entirely different.
During Maariv on Friday night, R’ Berel stood near the Rebbe. When the chazan finished Hashkiveinu, R’ Berel began to passionately recite V’Shomru, which is what Polish Chassidim do. It was only when he finished that he realized that he was the only one saying it and everyone else was silent. Later on, when he had yechidus with his daughter, the Rebbe gave her a T’hillim and said: This is according to all nuschaos (liturgical versions).
On Simchas Torah, R’ Berel took his son Yona Mordechai to 770. Before the farbrengen, R’ Raitchik told him that it was possible to go over to the Rebbe with a bottle of wine, as was the practice then. R’ Berel approached the Rebbe with the bottle and said l’chaim. The Rebbe gave him a piece of lekach and blessed him with success. R’ Berel, who was greatly inspired, told the Rebbe that he committed to giving the Rebbe $100,000. That was a huge sum at that time. The Rebbe merely responded with “l’chaim v’livracha” and showed no signs of excitement at all.
It was this cool response of the Rebbe that captivated R’ Berel. In other places, the Admur would have immediately said a good word and placed him on the eastern wall, while here, the Rebbe blessed him and that was all.
A few days passed and it was time for yechidus. R’ Raitchik guided R’ Berel and said that if we want to accept the Rebbe’s authority, we refrain from giving the Rebbe our hand and we do not sit.
When R’ Berel walked in, the Rebbe got up and asked him, “Nu Weiss, you rested up already?”
R’ Berel replied, “Yes, boruch Hashem.”
The Rebbe held out his hand and suggested he sit down. R’ Berel refused.
R’ Berel gave the Rebbe a kvittel and said that he attributed his successes to the Rebbe’s blessings. The Rebbe spoke to him about several matters, and at the end said, “Regarding the large sum you promised to give to tz’daka, the yetzer ha’ra will come and try to dissuade you. See to it that he is not successful in convincing you.”
When R’ Berel said that it wasn’t a problem for him, for the Rebbe would give him a bracha that the yetzer ha’ra would not prevail, the Rebbe smiled.
From that point on, R’ Berel began corresponding with the Rebbe frequently and received answers which encouraged and strengthened him. Upon his return from seeing the Rebbe, he bought a house that was very similar to 770. Indeed, it was a home that was especially open to anything associated with Lubavitch. R’ Kazarnovsky a”h would visit LA occasionally and all the farbrengens would be in R’ Berel’s house.
HE WILL PRINT SIFREI LUBAVITCH
With the atmosphere at home revolving around the Rebbe, it wasn’t surprising when the youngest son, Moshe Aharon, wanted to join his father on his trip to the Rebbe. R’ Berel consulted with R’ Kazarnovsky who said you don’t take little children to the Rebbe. However, in one of the private audiences, the Rebbe asked R’ Berel, “How old is Moshe Aharon?”
R’ Berel told the Rebbe that his son greatly desired coming to the Rebbe, but R’ Kazarnovsky said you don’t bring children to the Rebbe. The Rebbe dismissed this and said, “Ah, you should bring him.”
R’ Berel told the Rebbe that his son’s desire to see the Rebbe was so great that in school he asked his teacher for a piece of paper and when the teacher asked what for, he said: To make a Lubavitcher Siddur.
The Rebbe said, “He will yet print Lubavitcher s’farim.”
Another year, it was very cold and although he had a high fever, R’ Berel would not forgo his trip to the Rebbe. However, he asked his sons to remain in California. When the Rebbe entered for hakafos, R’ Berel suddenly felt completely well. Afterward, in yechidus, he told the Rebbe why he had not brought the children. When the Rebbe asked him, how do you feel now, he said that when the Rebbe entered for hakafos, he suddenly felt like a new man. He hinted to the Rebbe about the famous story with the Alter Rebbe who ordered that all the sick people be brought to him for hakafos and the Rebbe smiled.
When R’ Berel told the Rebbe that his son Mordechai would be bar mitzva the following year, the Rebbe said it was an opportunity to come with the entire family. That is what he did.
Yona Mordechai’s bar mitzva was held in the sukka and the Rebbe told R’ Chadakov to participate. In yechidus of that year, the Rebbe no longer held out his hand and he did not offer R’ Berel a seat. Until then, for five years, the Rebbe always said he should sit down. R’ Berel understood from this that from then on, the Rebbe was treating him like a Chassid.
THERE WILL BE A REVOLUTION IN LIBERIA
R’ M. M. Labkovsky a”h, one of his close friends who learned with him regularly, told the following story:
We were learning together when the phone rang. I did not hear the person on the other end, just what R’ Berel said. I understood that the person who called him was asking him to join him in a business deal but R’ Berel said, “I can’t do it without the Rebbe’s consent.”
The person apparently continued to cajole him but R’ Berel repeated, “I don’t do anything without the Rebbe’s consent.” The person seemed to ask whether this obligated him too, and R’ Berel said, “I don’t know about you. Maybe for me it is not good and for you, it is. You have to ask the Rebbe separately. Anyway, I can’t do anything without receiving the Rebbe’s consent and blessing.”
He once told me that when he does business deals without asking the Rebbe, he loses. In general, in anything having to do with the Rebbe, he was the first. He helped the Rebbe’s shluchim, sometimes by giving and sometimes with loans. I know that one time he wrote to the Rebbe that there were many shluchim that he helped, but the expenses were great and he did not have the wherewithal to support them all.
The Rebbe responded by saying that he bore the burden with Hashem, and then the Rebbe said to him the words “gar grois” (very large, apparently meaning to do things in a big way).
One time, R’ Berel told this incredible story:
Once, in yechidus, I told the Rebbe that I was considering investing money in diamond deals in Liberia. The deal involved millions of dollars. It had to do with several diamond dealers from Antwerp who were on Antwerp’s big diamond exchange. I told the Rebbe that I said to them that I would be willing to invest only after the Rebbe approved of it.
The businessmen, some of them Chassidic Jews, who really wanted me to invest, asked me: And if the Rebbe says no, you won’t do it? They couldn’t understand it. Even though they also asked their Rebbe for a bracha, they had never asked for his approval of a business deal, for what does a Rebbe know about business?
The Rebbe listened and then told me not to get involved since there would be a revolution in Liberia. I responded with incredulity, for Liberia was known as the Switzerland of South Africa, but the Rebbe repeated what he said and added: If you still want to, you can invest, but on condition that you have the ability to take your money out immediately, whenever you ask for it.
When I relayed the Rebbe’s answer to the Chassidim in Antwerp, they were very disappointed and could not believe how there could be a revolution in the most stable country in Africa.
About a year later, I invested thousands of dollars in diamonds. I spoke with the diamond dealer and said he should buy diamonds for me in Liberia but then immediately get out. I gave him the money and he bought rough diamonds. A short while later a revolution began in Liberia. The diamonds remained there due to the situation and the dealer gave me back only part of my money. The other part was never returned. But boruch Hashem, I did not invest millions and I did not lose.
In another yechidus, I asked the Rebbe whether to take my company public on the stock market. I told the Rebbe that businessmen told me that by doing this I could become a millionaire in a short time, “And I’ll be able to give a million dollars to the Rebbe’s mosdos.” But the Rebbe did not react.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Why do you need balabatim over you?” (for when you go public, the shareholders become the real bosses). In the end, the Rebbe gave his bracha. Then he suddenly asked, “What will you give me?”
I immediately answered, “Whatever I have, I am willing to give to the Rebbe.”
“The next time you come here, bring me a thousand blatt Gemara!” was the Rebbe’s answer.
HE EARNED FIVE TIMES AS MUCH
R’ Naftali Estulin, a shliach in California who knew R’ Weiss well, related:
One year, at the Simchas Torah farbrengen, the Rebbe said that when you commit to a large sum, Hashem gives five times as much. The Rebbe said: Better that Hashem owes you, than you owing Him.
The Rebbe added, whoever commits now that after Simchas Torah he will give a sum to tz’daka, Hashem will owe him.
Both of us, R’ Berel and I, were at that farbrengen. I knew that R’ Berel’s financial state wasn’t good at that time, but when we met on Kingston Avenue I was all excited and I said to him, “You heard what the Rebbe said! Now is the time to decide to give a lot of tz’daka!”
B’ Berel said to me sadly, “I want to, but I don’t have.”
I asked him, “How much?”
He said, at least $100,000.
I said that in that case, I would take a loan from the bank on account of his future profits. He gave me a Chassidishe kiss, then and there, and I was able to obtain a loan for him and I sent the money to the Rebbe. A few months later, he earned five times the amount in a certain business deal.
***
Another time, R’ Berel went to the Rebbe and asked permission to do a certain deal. The Rebbe said, “R’ Berel, it’s not glatt.” On the table was a T’hillim and the Rebbe took it and said, “Print several thousand, that’s a straight deal.”
FAMILY MATTERS
R’ Berel saw the fulfillment of the Rebbe’s brachos in every area of his life, both family and business. R’ Berel told about one of these personal matters:
One year, before Rosh HaShana, I wrote to the Rebbe that I hope to relay good news and the Rebbe asked me in yechidus about the details.
Shortly after that there was the situation with my son, Moshe Aharon. He had a problem with his spine and the doctors wanted to operate. However, they were afraid to operate because they were nervous about injuring major nerves. They hoped he would heal on his own, “and if he doesn’t heal, then we can’t do anything,” they said.
In the meantime, the child suffered terribly as a result of a pulled muscle. Medication to alleviate the pain did not help and he began using crutches. Now, in addition to the physical suffering, he was embarrassed. He was still little and was afraid the other children would laugh at him since he used crutches.
I wrote to the Rebbe about all this. At that time, I didn’t write to the Rebbe about business or about anything else, only about Moshe Aharon. I asked for a big bracha and the Rebbe responded with, “I will mention it at the gravesite.”
We went to the Rebbe for Shavuos. At the farbrengen on the Shabbos before Shavuos, the Rebbe spoke about the mitzva of tz’daka and mentioned the Midrash (on the verse, “He who is gracious to the poor, lends to Hashem”) which says that Hashem promises that one who revives the soul of a pauper, when his son needs salvation, it will come.
I sat at the farbrengen and immediately realized that the Rebbe was saying that in merit of tz’daka, I would be saved. After Yom Tov, I had yechidus and I asked the Rebbe on behalf of Moshe Aharon once again. The Rebbe told me to ask a rav about the matter, but I got up the nerve and said I did not want to ask a rav, I wanted the Rebbe to give a bracha that Moshe Aharon would be well.
The Rebbe said: Tell the doctors that you don’t want an operation.
I said: Good, I will tell the doctors that the Rebbe said not to operate, and the Rebbe agreed.
When we returned home, my son’s condition worsened so that the doctors wanted to hospitalize him again. I told them that the Rebbe said not to operate. They could not understand my refusal considering the child’s suffering, and they did not offer any other treatment.
The next day, the doctor said to me, I am waiting for you. It seems they had discussed my son’s condition at a meeting and one of them, a well-known doctor, had said he had treated a boy who came from Mexico who suffered from a similar problem in the spine and he decided it was too dangerous to operate. In the end, he healed the injury with radiation.
Under this doctor’s guidance, they decided to treat Moshe Aharon in this way and boruch Hashem, his condition began to improve, but he still had problems with his feet. The doctors said again they needed to operate. The child came to me crying: They said they would not operate and now, I was at the doctor with Mommy, and they said they have to operate.
I thought of how I could calm him down. It was before Yud-Tes Kislev and I said: We will go to the Rebbe for Yud-Tes Kislev and then we will go to a top doctor. I meant Dr. Markov who was famous in New York.
We went to New York and my son was at the farbrengen and afterward he had yechidus along with my wife, in the course of which she told about the plan of seeing that doctor. The Rebbe agreed to this and said he wanted to know what the doctor said.
Armed with the Rebbe’s bracha, we went to the doctor and after hearing the story and about what had been done thus far, he said he wanted to conduct his own examinations. In order to do this, he said my son had to be hospitalized. My wife told the Rebbe what the doctor said and the Rebbe said to make sure that my son lit the Chanuka menorah in the hospital.
My son lit the menorah and it attracted a lot of attention with all the gentiles watching how my son lit the candles. They were moved and they hoped that in the merit of my son’s lighting, they too would be healed.
Dr. Markov finished his tests and told my son to throw away the crutches. He said the situation was not so dire and he arranged for leg braces. My son asked the doctor whether he could go to school in New York and the doctor said yes. When my wife told the Rebbe, the Rebbe noted: Does the doctor know that the conditions in yeshiva are not so well organized from a physical standpoint?
My son remained in New York and was a talmid in Oholei Torah. Nearly a year passed and certain complications remained. After Sukkos, we had yechidus again and my wife cried about Moshe Aharon still not being all better. The Rebbe said to her: You can’t cry. I promise you that you will lead him, in good health, to the chuppa.
Boruch Hashem, the Rebbe’s blessings and promises were fulfilled in their entirety.
***
Years later, Moshe Aharon became a shliach and merited special kiruvim from the Rebbe. A few years after he married, he still did not have children, which was very upsetting.
In 5750, R’ Berel took this son to the Rebbe for Lag B’Omer. At the distribution of dollars for tz’daka which took place after Maariv, R’ Berel introduced his son to the Rebbe and said he was asking for a bracha for children for him.
The Rebbe said: Today we have with us R’ Shimon Bar Yochai.
But R’ Berel, as a seasoned businessman and a loyal Chassid, pointed at the Rebbe and said: We want a bracha from this Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
The Rebbe’s face turned serious and he said loudly and firmly, “May he have sons and daughters.” The bracha was fulfilled and a few years later he had twin sons.
At the seuda following the brissin for the twins, R’ Berel told the story about the bracha given on Lag B’Omer and said now of course they were waiting for daughters. Sure enough, a daughter followed soon after.
OPEN RUACH HA’KODESH
R’ Berel related the following at a farbrengen:
I want to tell the story about my beard. In 1960 I wrote a letter to the Rebbe and asked for a bracha for Torah and g’dula (greatness, i.e. wealth). Some time after I wrote the letter, I had yechidus and felt that it was an auspicious time to ask again. I figuratively “banged on the desk” and asked, how come the Rebbe does not want to give me a bracha for Torah and g’dula?
The Rebbe suddenly turned serious and he looked as though he had entered another state. I prayed that the earth swallow me up because I was afraid that I had pressed too much.
Finally, the Rebbe said: For that, you need to grow a beard.
I wanted to immediately say that I agree but the Rebbe continued, as though reading my mind, that before making a decision like this, a person ought to consult his family and make the decision with a settled mind while at the same time remembering not to be ashamed by those who mock.
Indeed, my wife was not thrilled by the idea and the matter of the beard was dropped. Some years passed until the first day of Shavuos 5749/1989. During the davening with the Rebbe, I was feeling in an elevated state and that yechidus came to mind. I decided then and there to carry out what I said in that yechidus.
I did not tell anyone of my decision; it was only in my mind. Then, to my enormous astonishment, at the farbrengen the next day, the Rebbe suddenly spoke about the inyan of the “13 Tikkunei Dikna” and said there were businessmen who think they will lose out if they have a beard, but if they knew how much they would profit and how successful they would be, they wouldn’t think about it at all!
Those who knew me, R’ Shmuel Dovid Raitchik and my other friends who were there at that farbrengen, told me afterward that they were sure the Rebbe was referring to me, but I knew that I had already decided to grow a beard the day before. The Rebbe, with his ruach ha’kodesh, read my thoughts and encouraged me with this sicha and spoke as though directly to me.
Some time later, I went by the Rebbe for dollars and the Rebbe gave me thirteen dollars to correspond to the 13 dikna kadisha. For three years, when I passed by the Rebbe, he gave me thirteen dollars and said, “For the 13 tikkunei dikna kadisha.”
R’ Naftali Estulin concludes, “Two days before R’ Berel passed away, I went to visit him. He suddenly began to talk about the Rebbe. How characteristic of him that was.”