An Introduction
Growing up in Irvington, New Jersey, and being a student at Mesivta Torah Vodaath, we teenagers from the Newark area were fortunate to have a number of rabbanim that had a special influence on us. One such person, was Rav Eliyahu Chaim Carlebach, zt’l, the twin brother of the famous singer and composer, Reb Shloma Carlebach, zt’l. Rav Eliyahu Chaim served as mara d’asra of the nearby Hillside Kehilla and was a shochet in Newark. He was married to the former Hadassah Schneerson, shetichyeh, daughter of Rav Zalman Schneerson, zt’l, who saved numerous nefashos during the Holocaust. (See story on Nathan Berney in the June 18th Monsey Mevaser issue.) Rav Eliyahu Chaim was a Chassidishe Rav with a Shtreimel and headed the Machon Zecher Naftoli organization, which has produced hundreds of sefarim.
Every Chol Hamoed Pesach and Sukkos he would take a group of us teens on a trip to Crown Heights to the Bobover Rebbe’s tisch. It was a trip we looked forward to, gaining an uplifting experience each time. The warmth exuded by this vibrant, totally accessible ‘oveid Hashem’ included his outstanding ahavas Yisroel which touched all who came in contact with him.
The author recalls sitting at the tisch with his friends, one of whom was a baal teshuva that had gone back to college to get his masters in English literature. He had removed his levush and beard and was clean-shaven. The ‘Rav’, as the Rebbe was known in Bobov, gave out cups of wine ‘and when he gave one to this friend he said: ”A kos for the bochur from Newark. This bochur from Newark will yet have a beard. And then the ‘Rav’ added emphatically: “This bochur from Newark has ‘bekavana’ yet to wear a beard.”
My friend today lives in Meah Shearim and is attired in what I call ‘shmona begadim’- the typical Meah Shearim levush. We get together very often when I have the zechus to be in Israel to visit my children and grandchildren. Many years ago, my friend related that the ‘Rav’ came to Yerushalayim and held a ‘tisch’ at the ‘Chayeh Olam Hall’ on Kikar Shabbas. Thousands of persons came to see the Bobover ‘Rav’, as, this was one of the few times the Rav came to Israel.
As the ‘Ruv’ comes into the hall, my friend, in his shtreimel, sticks his head through the crowd and identifies himself as the bochur from Newark. The Rav stops and grabs his hand and arm in arm he escorts him to the dais and seats him next to him for the entire tisch. The Ruv himself was in awe that his brocha was mekuyam with this bochur.
Subsequently, my friend was zoche to marry off his nine children to the finest families in Yerushalayim. I relate this story as an example of the power of a brocha from the holy Bobover Rebbe.
When we were teens, we did not realize the Gadlus of this lovable Manhig Yisroel, who sacrificed so much for the klal. Let’s get a glimpse of his background:
