R’ Itche

Years ago, some bochurim were on merkos shlichus in the city in which R’ Itche a”h was a shliach at that time. They stayed, naturally, in his home. They found it a bit surprising that every single night, regardless of how late it was, R’ Itche was sitting and learning when they went to sleep, and every morning when they awoke, he was sitting at the table learning.

It was only much later that they learned the reason for this: R’ Itche had no extra room for them in his home, but since these bochurim were shluchim of the Rebbe, he gave his own bedroom to them, and sent his wife to sleep in the children’s room. In order that they shouldn’t notice that he had nowhere to sleep, he made sure to be learning whenever they went to sleep and awoke!

Ess iz gornisht!

The sister of R’ Chaim Boruch and R’ Chesed Halberstam was once diagnosed with a tumor in her brain r”l, that the doctors felt was inoperable. The parents ran from doctor to doctor, but were given little hope. Finally, one doctor told them that in Eretz Yisroel the doctors have very little experience in this particular field. He suggested therefore that they travel to America, where that had been much more development in this area of pediatric treatment, and there they would undoubtedly find a surgeon who would be willing to treat her.

The father took his daughter to America, and, in fact, found a surgeon who was prepared to operate on her.

R’ Chesed was then already learning in Lubavitch (he had been attracted to a chassidus shiur of R’ Yosef Segal, and went to learn in Kfar Chabad), and he called his father and urged him, once he was in the United States in any case, to seek a brocho from the Rebbe. The father was at first very reluctant, they were after allTzanzer Einiklech and Tzanzer chassidim, and he told his son that this was not theirderech. His son was, however, persistent, and the father, after all, was desperate to get help for his daughter, so finally he acquiesced.

When the father came to 770, and the Rebbe saw him, the Rebbe shook his hand and said: “Sholom Aleichem, why are you here?”

Rabbi Halberstam told the Rebbe about his daughter’s illness. The Rebbe looked at him and said emphatically “Ess iz gornisht!” [It is nothing]. The father stood there in shock – they had come from Eretz Yisroel with all of her x-rays etc. and situation was dire – and the Rebbe repeated again: “Ich hob dir gezogt, ess iz gornisht” [I told you, it is nothing]!

Amazed, Rabbi Halberstam rushed back to the hospital where the surgery was to be performed. When they were taking her for x-rays etc. he questioned the doctors: “What do you need this for? I brought all of her test results from Israel?” The doctor replied: “When we do surgery here, we base it only on our own tests, not on tests performed elsewhere”.

Shortly afterwards, the doctor came to Rabbi Halberstam in surprise. “Rabbi, why did you come to us”, he asked, holding the new test results in his hand, “there is nothing at all wrong with your daughter”!