The sun was blazing as the Rebbe walked to the library on Shavuot 5738 (1978). A small child, thinking that this was his father, ran up to the Rebbe. He held onto the Rebbe’s hand, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the Rebbe’s kapata (frock).
Aghast bystanders scolded the child’s mother for allowing this to happen. Remorsefully, she sat down after Yom Tov to pen a letter of apology, and gave it in to the Rebbe.
On Motzei Shabbat Parshat Pinchas the mother received her response. The Rebbe began by marking her apology letter with a question mark and an exclamation point.
Then the Rebbe wrote: “Quite the contrary, it gave me great pleasure: The heartiness, simplicity and innocence of a child are immeasurable. If only the adults would have something of it.”
“Heartiness, Simplicity and Innocence” & “Telling a Story” reprinted from The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash, on line at TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com
