Mail from Atzilus

R’ Elchonon Dov (Choneh) Morozov served as loyal secretary to the Frierdige Rebbe. Amongst his many duties, was the very mundane responsibility (as that of – lehavdil – any secretary) to bring the Rebbe the mail every day. Now, the love and concern that the Frierdige Rebbe felt towards each and every Jew was boundless, and every bit of news that reached him affected him in a very personal and tangible way.

[A few days before the arrest of the FR in 5687, a chossid gave in a pan, in which he wrote that his wife gave birth to twins, and that, because it was a difficult delivery, both his wife and the newborns are very weak, and he’s therefore requesting a brocho for them.

When the FR was released from prison on gimmel tamuz, and was allowed a few hours to spend with his family before being exiled to Kastrama, he inquired after the welfare of the family of this chossid. Notwithstanding the unimaginable tortures that the Rebbe had just endured, and the decree that he was still facing, the welfare of each individual was always on his heart].

As a secretary, R’ Choni Morozov’s was responsible to give the Rebbe the mail, but as a chossid his uppermost concern was the Rebbe’s health and wellbeing. The FR’s physical health was precarious at that time to begin with, and the situation for Russian Jewry at the time was such that most of the news was unfortunately not positive. The FR took every bit of news so much to heart, that every bad tiding had an adverse effect on his health in a very tangible way (as his doctors pointed out on numerous occasions). Thus on a particular day, when the mail could not be presumed to contain much good tidings, and the FR asked R’ Choni for the mail he was in a quandary. He didn’t want to disobey to FR ch”v, yet neither did he want to be the cause of a deterioration ch”v of the Rebbe’s physical health.

Not knowing how to proceed, he tried to buy time. When the FR asked for the mail, he answered that it had not yet arrived. This repeated itself a few times, until such a time that it was obvious that the mail had already arrived. When the FR asked again for “the post”, R’ Choni pretended not to understand, and asked “veleche post, fun atzilus?” [Which mail (are you inquiring about, the one) from Atzilus?]

The FR looked at him and responded: “Oif dem darf men dir nisht hoben!” [- for the mail from Atzilus I don’t require your services!].