Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Heartfelt wishes to haTomim Sholom Dov Ber ben Miriam for a complete and immediate refuah shleima. As we all daven for yeihopchu yomim eilu, may that include the haficha of all of the inyonim bilti retzuyim, vechol haklolois yeihopchu lebrochos gluyos Now Mamosh!
With immense gratitude to Hashem for His endless kindness and brochos, I wish Mazel tov to our children, Rabbi and Mrs. Yitzchok’l Wagner, shluchim of the Rebbe to Richmond California, on the birth of their daughter Mushka. Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Moishe Schmerling on the birth of their daughter. Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Avremi Gerlitzky on the birth of their daughter. Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Tzviki Volvovsky on the birth of their daughter. May they bring them up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolos! (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I omitted please let me know).
Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
Following are two stories that I’ve heard, here and there, be’inyono deyoma:
Rabbi Shabsai Slavaticki is the shliach of the Rebbe in Antwerp, Belgium. He is a very respected chosid who has done much in hafotzas hamaayonos chutza. In his community there was an individual, a talmid chochom and respected community member, who was a (self-proclaimed) misnaged. He was zealously opposed and antagonistic to anything connected with Lubavitch. Needless to say, he wasn’t, in any way, one of Rabbi Slavaticki’s fans or supporters.
One day, this individual approached Rabbi Slavaticki, visibly moved, and declared that he would like to begin learning chassidus with him. Despite his shock, Rabbi Slavaticki was, of course, delighted to comply, but he couldn’t help asking his new student what brought about such a drastic change. The man shared with him the following narrative:
“Our daughters, both 4 or 5 years old, attend the same kindergarten and are friends. One day, my daughter – in the course of a conversation, remarked to your daughter: ‘You know, my father hates your Rebbe’. Without batting an eyelash, your daughter promptly replied: ‘Yes, but my Rebbe loves your father’.
“When my daughter came home from school, she repeated the conversation to me, and I was shaken to my very core. I know that your daughter is just a young girl, and no one could have prepped her for this response. The only way that she was able to say this is because she knows, with her childlike innocence and absolute certainty that this is the case. And the only way she can know this with absolute certainty is because this is the truth. And if that is the case, then, I realized, I need to start learning chassidus”!
A group of bochurim, in Eretz Yisroel, would go every week to an army base to do mivtzoim. Being young bochurim, they needed someone to drive them, and often they would get driven by an older acquaintance. This acquaintance was a former Yeshiva bochur who, over the years, became very lax in his own observance of Torah and mitzvos. However, he still loved the bochurim and what they did, and was happy to help out when he was able. He never mixed in with the actual mivtzoim; - he would drive them to the base, wait until they were done, and then drive them back.
One particular week, the boys were putting on teffillin with the soldiers, but one officer refused to cooperate. The bochurim were not concerned, - they had plenty of “customers” there without that individual, and they moved on to the next Jew. But the soldiers who were under that officer couldn’t let it go, and they began pestering him to put on tefillin, without success.
