Liloi asher k'parshas Vayishlach, yom haBahir Yud Gimmel Kislev, chodesh hageulah, shnas Bias Moshiach l'pe'ulah
Dear Alumni Sheyichyu! Sholom U’Brocho! I already wrote you this week, so for tonight I’m going to share a few things that were sent to me recently.
Bob Dylan and the Rebbe
The following was sent by Dubie Lisker (in response to the story about the child and the dog): Someone (I think it was Rabbi Feller but I’m not sure) was being mekarev Bob Dylan (I won’t try to explain to any of you who he is..) and it was around chaf beis shvat, and he told Bob to come be menachem avel the Rebbe, so Bob came and he calls the shliach to say he is outside, and the shliach came out and saw that in the back of Bob’s van was a huge dog, so he asked what’s with the dog? So Bob says "it’s for the Rebbe". So the shliach answers "Bob, the Rebbe has enough dogs" [It’s known that the Satmar Rov was wont to say: “I’m lucky that I’m not a king, because if I was, I would be oiver on “Lo Yarbeh Lo Susim”...]
Shloimy and the Meaning of Suffering
The following was shared by Rabbi Yisroel Leib (Raleigh) Resnick, who heard it when being menachem aveil by the Derens: His son Shloimie a"h - 6 years old (I think) - was in the hospital with the machaleh, and his mother was changing a bandage or some procedure. The pain was too much and Shloimy began crying to his mother, "Why do I have to suffer like this? Why does Hashem want this? etc. etc." Yisroel Deren did the sensible thing (in his own words) and he left the room to go cry. But his rebbetzen had to remain to continue tending to her son's care. She responded, "Shloimy, Hashem doesn't want anyone to suffer. He doesn't want adults to suffer and He certainly doesn't want children to suffer. But we're in golus and things are not the way they should be". Shloimy looked at his mother, clenched his fists and cried out, "Mommy, this golus stinks!" [It most definitely does!]
R’ Shmuel Levitin’s Exile
The following (that is an excerpt from a yoman from 5725, and is a story that was related by the Rashag) was sent to me by Rabbi Sholom Rubashkin: R’ Shmuel Levitin told the Rebbe Rashab (or the Frierdige Rebbe) that when he was sent to exile for three years, the day on which he was sent off was a Shabbos. He didn’t know whether or not to take his Teffillin and Torah Ohr with him (food such as wine, eggs, carrots or matzos he didn’t have, and maror he wasn’t lacking). In the end he decided to take them with him because it was pikuach nefesh mamosh. On the way he said a proper “shfoich chamoscho”. When he recounted this, he asked the Rebbe for a Tikkun for chilul Shabbos. The Rebbe told him that every day he should learn a mishna in Shabbos, and that he should say kriasshma in tefillin every day (maybe meaning before davening?).
Frank Lautenberg and the Rebbe on Language
The following, which is an excerpt of a yechidus that Frank Lautenberg had with the Rebbe in 5732, was sent to me by Shimon Sabol (following it is the link, if I got it right): [The Rebbe had asked Mr. Frank Lautenberg to put on Teffilin. Someone asks: Does he not have to learn the brochos or the language, to read Hebrew?] the Rebbe responds: You can do all these things in English, [Someone asks: All this in English? and the Rebbe responds: in English!, and then the Rebbe continues]: Every boy or girl that is approaching, and does not understand Hebrew or Yiddish, should do all these things in English, it is a pity on the time loss, I am not for.... the Yeshivos who are very enthusiastic about forcing the people to teach all subjects in Yiddish, Gemara etc, I am not enthusiastic about it, we are spending a lot of time to learn a new language and after they have learned it, they have a language barrier, they cannot speak fluently, then are thinking in English, and it is a pity on the time Loss, as I said before "the building is burning!" it is not a normal time! and to say it a good way, it is a computer era, a computer must have the results in one second and because of that you [referring to Mr. Lautenberg who was a pioneer in the computer industry] are paid a million for this computer or 2 million, I don't know exactly, this is your [again referring to Mr. Lautenberg] department....
R’ Benzion Zeideh’s Parnassah
The following story, about R’ Benzion Zeideh, (a very prominent Visznitze chosid (the esrog), originally from Postville - where he was a shochet for a number of years - and currently in BP), was shared by Yossi Rubashkin: R’ Zaide has not had a steady job since he left Postville. Before Yom Tov he had no money for anything, not even for a Suka. One day MR (from Postville) calls him up, saying ‘we need you to come work for us’. R’ Zaide did not want to go back to all the _____ there, but he was going crazy, because he really needed the money. After a while he decides he is going to the ohel. He comes to the ohel, and he starts crying to the Rebbe that he doesn’t want to go back but his family needs food etc... After he leaves he goes into the tent, and opens an Igros. The letter is to a guy who wants to move, and the Rebbe says that it’s more worth it to stay alone in a desert than to go to a place with bad people and amharatzim. He gets all nispoel and he decides not to go. The next day he gets a call from the Klausinberger Rebbe that he wants him to shecht his kaporos, and he pays him $1000 plus tips. [I guess we can call him now for his maaser..]
Feivel Shapiro’s Yechidus
The following (corrected version of a story that I repeated at a farbrengen) was provided to me by Rabbi Sholom Schapiro, and (separately) by Mrs. Minkowitz: There is a personal acquaintance of Reb Shabatai in Antwerp by the name of Feivel Shapiro (a Belzer Chasid and a business man.) Feivel's mother passed away when he was 12 years old, shortly before his Bar mitzvah. She orphaned a home full of children and Feivel was the youngest at 12. Some twenty five years later, Feivel traveled in New York for business and one summer night he came to 770 to daven Maariv with the Rebbe. After Maariv Feivel noticed a commotion, people going in and people going out, it was obvious there was something going on. It was explained to him that this is a night that there is Yechidus with the Rebbe receiving people who have appointments. Feivel, a person who is not afraid of anything and a lively kind of fellow, was hanging around the room outside of the Rebbe's room. He decides he is going to go in and see the Rebbe even though he does not have an appointment. Feivel goes to the person in the front of the line and says I need to go in before you, as I urgently need to leave soon, the person agrees.
