A mohel had been to Japan, to perform a bris there, shared the following story of his visit there by a bris:

‘While in Japan, I visited the city of Kobe. Kobe is the fourth largest city in Japan, and, as an important port city, serves as a prominent business center. While in Kobe, I was taken to one street, where I beheld an incredible sight! In the middle of the street was a shul, and the shul was the only structure standing on the entire block. Like an oasis in the middle of the desert, the shul stood alone surrounded by rubble.

‘My guides shared with me the amazing story of the shul: In 1995, Kobe was hit by a powerful earthquake (otherwise known as the great Hanshin earthquake), in which over 6400 people lost their lives, and much of the city was flattened. This particular block was not spared the devastation, as the numerous skyscrapers in and around it were leveled. Only the shul remained intact amongst all of the ruin, with only a single crack in the wall, reaching from above the aron Kodesh until the ceiling, bearing witness to the extraordinary salvation. The local gentiles also recognized the supernatural survival of the shul, and they dubbed it “the miracle synagogue”.

‘Upon further research, I learned of the remarkable story behind the story of the shul: In the 1950’s or 60’s, Kobe attracted many Jewish merchants, who wanted to take advantage of its’ booming economy, and they decided to build a shul. One of the merchants was a Lubavitcher chosid, and he offered to request the Rebbe’s brocho for their undertaking. The next time that he was in NY, he went into the Rebbe, holding the blueprints for the planned shul, and asked for a brocho. As a matter of routine, he handed the Rebbe the eight pages of blueprint.

The Rebbe perused the pages, and then, to the surprise of the chosid, asked “And where is the mikvah?”

The chosid was caught off guard, and stammered “There was no room to put in a mikvah.”

The Rebbe quickly turned to the 3^rd page, and, - with the skill of a professional architect, - penciled in a mikvah into one spot on the page, remarking “Right here there is room for a mikva!”

The chosid was so overwhelmed that he immediately acquiesced, promising the Rebbe that he would ensure that they would indeed include a mikvah in the shul. The Rebbe then gave his brocho, and added: “By building a mikvah in the shul, the Shul will have a kiyum [will be sustained]!”

Only in 1995 was the meaning of the Rebbe’s prophetic words realized!

Marry Jewish

Rabbi Yisroel Labowski was once flying somewhere. It so happened, that next to him was a young woman that mentioned to him that she wasn’t Jewish but was engaged to a Jew. Seeing the hashgacha protis, Rabbi Labkowski started convincing her not go through with such a ‘marriage’. He tried and tried, explaining her how a union between a Jew and non-Jew is detrimental to both. Unfortunately, his words fell on death ears. Seeing how steadfast she was in her commitment to marry this Jewish man he asked her why she was so inclined to marry someone Jewish. She answered him simply “I want to do like my father did – he married Jewish and I want to do the same”

Anim Zmiros

The halacha and minhag is to daven early on the day after Yom Kippur. In one shtetl, when the townspeople came to shul that day (known as G-t’s tog) to daven, they found a Poylishe chosid dancing at the amud, singing a niggun to the words of the shir hakavod (anim zemiros). It turned out that he had been so preoccupied with his singing, that he danced through the night, and completely forgot about going to break his fast!

He had spent the entire Yom Kippur being in such a lofty spiritual state that he was similar to an angel (as chazal tell us). Therefore, although he was aware that once Yom Kippur had ended it was the Will of Hashem that he return to being involved in worldly matters, nonetheless he was so overcome with yearning for the state that he had been in during this holiest day, that he tried to extend it a little bit longer, and before he knew it it was the next day!

There were rumors going around that the chossid in the story was the Rebbe. When Reuven Dunin came for yechidus he decided to clarify this once and for all, so he asked the Rebbe if the rumors were true. The Rebbe answered him that they weren't and that the story happened with someone before the times of the Baal Shem Tov and he wasn’t even a poilisher chossid. The Rebbe then proceeded to recount the entire story.

“There lived a rich man that made it his business to go around and do pidyon shvuim. One day he was passing by the local dungeon and he heard some cries. Right away, he headed to the poritz, ready to free the man in captivity. The poritz told him that this man is not going to be freed and named an exuberant amount. The rich man was hesitant. Coming back home, his conscience started bothering him. He then proceeded to make a calculation of the value of his entire estate possessions. The value of the entire estate came out to be the exact amount that it would take to free the Jewish man. He went ahead liquidated all of his possessions. Coming to the poritz, he handed him the necessary sum. The poritz burst out laughing as he opened up the dungeon. The man had already passed from this world.

Feeling very dejected and upset over throwing away all of his possessions, the now poor man wandered off and found a place to sleep. As he slept, he had a dream:

In his dream, there was a message from Up Above, and the message was that his money was not wasted. On the contrary, his actions deserved a reward. And he got 2 choices:

1.      Get back his riches plus much more

2.      Get a taste of gan eden while still in this world

This man picked the latter choice. And it was then, when he was singing anim zmiros, that he was experiencing the revelation of the olam haemes.”

The Rebbe concluded:

“With the choice that he made, we see that this man was not a chossid and that he lived before the times of the Baal Shem Tov. Had he been a chossid, he would’ve chosen the money in order to be able to continue doing pidyon shvuim”

Rebbe, Moshiach, es iz di zelbe zach!

R’ Avrohom Paris was a prominent chosid, who had learned in Lubavitch, and who was known for his extreme hiskashrus to the Frierdige Rebbe and – later – to the Rebbe. The very close relationship that R’ Avrohom enjoyed with the Rebbe began during the nesius of the Frierdige.

Once, after a Tishrei spent in NY at the Frierdige Rebbe, R’ Avrohom was preparing to return home to Eretz Yisroel. As was his custom, he also went to take his leave from the Rebbe (known then as “the Remash”). They said their ‘goodbyes’, and R’ Avrohom concluded with his heartfelt wish “az mir zollen zich zen noch amol mitten Rebben” [we should again see the Rebbe].

“R’ Avrohom”, the Rebbe said to him, “why don’t you say, better, “mir zollen zich zen mit Moshiah’n”?

But R’ Avrohom discounted the question, saying “Rebbe, Moshiach, es iz di zelbe zach!”

Miserable Faces

When Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuel Gorevitch were about to set out on shlichus to Lyon, France, they had a yechidus with the Rebbe. Towards the end, when they were about to leave, the Rebbe'suddenly turned to them with a smile and said, "In general, you should know that the French Don't like miserable faces." The significance of this seemingly strange statement only became apparent around five years later. By then, Rabbi Gorevitch had established a community of around several dozen Chassidic families and the time had come to open a school. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful building that they received from the local municipality. Even public schools were not normally allotted such beautiful premises, yet here was a private, religious school that would never usually receive any municipal assistance. When the local mayor gave a speech about the new school, the answer became clear. "When they submitted a request to the municipality to open a school," said the mayor, "I was very interested in finding out what Chabad is. People told me that they are a group of Jews who are characterized by working with joy. I therefore decided to give them this beautiful, big building because I, by nature, cant stand miserable faces."

Gehinom is closed on Shabbos

R’ Yochanan Gordon was the gabay in Lubavitch, in 770. He was a very wise man, in addition to being a great chosid who was mekushar to the Rebbe.

Once, during a farbrengen, he felt ill, and had to be carried out by hatzolloh. After some time passed, however, he felt better, and decided that, as the farbrengen was still in progress, he might as well return to the farbrengen. When he entered, the Rebbe looked at him in surprise. In response to the Rebbe’s questioning glance, he explained: “Ich bin ongekummen dorten, ber di gehinom iz doch farmacht oif Shabbos, un in gan eden hot men mir nit gevolt areinlozen, hob ich machlit geven kummen tzurik doh!” [I arrived to the other world, the gehinom is, however, closed on Shabbos, and in gan eden I was denied entry, so I decided that I might as well return here].