A chosid muz gloiben

There was a chosid of the Mitteler Rebbe who had a partnership with a litvak. The chosid was always encouraging his partner to travel to the Mitteler Rebbe and meet him, but the litvak did not see a point in the expense and the trouble.

Once, the 2 had occasion to make a business trip to very near to where the Mitteler Rebbe was staying. The litvak his time agreed that it would be worthwhile to take advantage of the opportunity, and they spent Shabbos together by the Rebbe.

After Shabbos, the chosid asked his partner about his impressions. The litvak as ecstatic. He couldn’t stop describing the bliss he experienced that Shabbos by the Rebbe. ‘I literally felt myself as if I was standing by har Sinai and hearing the aseres hadibros from the Eibishter himself. It was like spending a Shabbos in Gan Eden etc. etc.”!

Now it was the turn of the chosid to feel dejected. He loved his Rebbe, and was a devoted and loyal chosid, and had spent years learning from the Rebbe and following his directives. Yet he had never felt anything like what his partner was describing, in his very first Shabbos! What was wrong with him?

With a heavy heart, he turned (as a troubled chosid will invariably do) to the Rebbe. During yechidus, he poured out his worry to the Mitteler Rebbe. Was the litvak hat much greater than him as to reach in one Shabbos a higher revelation than he’d reached in years?

But the Rebbe put his mind at ease. That is the way it is meant to be, he explained to the chosid. “A chosid muz gloiben, ober a litvak muz ibertzeilen!” [a chosid needs to believe (and therefore doesn’t need to be able to enjoy such a lofty experience), but a litvak needs to be able to count over (i.e., he deals with things that are visible and tangible to him)].

During the nesius of the Mitteler Rebbe, when questions in halacha were sent to him, he would give them to the Tzemach Tzedek to answer. The Tzemach Tzedek would write a Teshuva, and then bring it to the Mitteler Rebbe for approval. After the Mitteler Rebbe gave his approval, the teshuva would then be sent out. However, the Mitteler Rebbe never took issue with any of the teshuvos of the Tzemach Tzedek.

Once, an urgent query arrived, and the Mitteler Rebbe was not available. The Tzemach Tzedek decided that, in light of the fact that the Mitteler Rebbe always approved of his Teshuvos, and being that an immediate response was required, he would send out the Teshuva this once before showing it to the Mitteler Rebbe. When he later told the MR about, he asked the Tzemach Tzedek what he had answered in the Teshuva, and then showed him that it was contrary to an explicit tosefos.

The Tzemach Tzedek was very upset about this, so the Mitteler Rebbe said to him: “Don’t feel bad, in the meantime you are not a Rebbe!”

Even the Torah learning of the Tzemach Tzedek, with all of his phenomenal genius, had to be connected to the Mitteler Rebbe, who was then the Rebbe.

The value of a Chossid

The Mitteler Rebbe’s daughter, Rebbetzin Devorah Leah, was married to Reb Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkassy, son of Reb Mordechai of Chernobyl. Thus she became exposed to the customs of her husband’s family, Poylisher Rebbeim, with which she had not been familiar in her youth.

[It is related that once, while her husband was conducting atisch with his Chassidim, she was surprised to note how the Chassidim were grabbing all of the shirayim, a practice that had not taken place in Lubavitch. She was worried that her husband was left with no food. ‘The way they grab all of the food’, she subsequently complained to her husband, ‘there is nothing left for you to eat!’

To this he replied: ‘From the shirayim that the Chassidim grab on Shabbos, we have what to eat the entire week’]

Once, when they were preparing for a trip to Lubavitch, Reb Mottel of Chernobyl summoned his daughter-in-law. “ I understand that you are preparing for a trip to Lubavitch,” he said to her, “and I would like to request of you to convey a message to your father.”

The Rebbetzin was very happy to have this great zechus of bringing the message between these two great tzaddikim, and she listened attentively, so that she would be able to carry it our precisely. “Tell your father”, commanded R’ Mottel, “that one of my Chassidim has become attracted to Chabad Chassidus, and is thus becoming a chosid of your father. Inform your father, therefore, that if he doesn’t return to me the chosid that was stolen from me, then he can keep his daughter, and should not expect her to be accepted back!”

The anticipation that the Rebbetzin had felt to be carrying out such a holy mission had been suddenly, understandably, turned to dread. She wasn’t sure how to react, but of one thing she was certain: she would do anything in her power to avoid fulfilling her esteemed father-in-law’s instructions.

However, when she arrived, her father sent for her, and it was impossible to avoid him. Although she still didn’t volunteer any information, the Mitteler Rebbe, on his own initiative, asked her: “Did your father-in-law perhaps give you a message for me?”

Finding herself pushed into a corner, she could no longer escape her predicament, and she repeated the harsh words of Reb Mottel to her father.

“Go and tell your father-in-law”, was the Mitteler Rebbe’s response, “that one chosid is more precious to me than seven daughters!”

Burning Sefer Torah

R’ Nochum, the son of the Mitteler Rebbe, was once talking with Chassidim, and he said to them: “People speak about moifsim performed by my father. I don’t know anything about it, all I know is one thing that I personally witnessed:

Once, there was a fire in the ohel of my father, and all those present were trying to extinguish it. I wanted to save the sefer Torah, however, as I neared the aron kodesh, the fire was so intense that I was unable to get any closer. As I stood there trying to figure out what to do, I suddenly saw my father in front of me, holding the sefer Torah. He handed me the sefer Torah, and immediately disappeared.

Learning with mesirus nefesh

During Napoleon’s campaign to conquer the world, the Rebbe’s of the time were divided about whether or not his success would bode good for the Jewish nation. The Alter Rebbe was of the opinion that the success of Napoleon, while improving the material lot of the Jews, would be very detrimental for them spiritually. Therefore, the Alter Rebbe was vehemently opposed to Napoleon, to the extent of sending his Chassidim to assist the Russian army, including spying on their behalf etc.

Once, the Alter Rebbe invited the Mitteler Rebbe to join him in learning a piece of Zohar. At that very moment, however, there was great tumult outside on account of the sightings of French soldiers, who appeared to be overrunning the country. The Mitteler Rebbe turned to the Alter Rebbe in concern, saying: “Father, what happened to your promise to me that the enemy would not succeed?!”

The Alter Rebbe reassured his son, saying: “I swear to you that the army of Napoleon will meet their defeat here”. The Mitteler Rebbe was calmed, and wanted to now learn the Zohar. The Alter Rebbe, however, indicated that now it was too late, saying “For that Zohar you needed to display mesirus nefesh!”

The Mitteler Rebbe recounted the story, saying that for years he suffered great pain on account of the missed Zohar.

Davening with the shtender

The Alter Rebbe once approached the Mitteler Rebbe after davening and asked him: “With what did you daven today?” The Mitteler Rebbe responded “With the idea of “Vechol Komah lefonecho tishtachave” thatkoma refers to ‘komah of AK’ – machshava hakedumah de’AK”.

[Once when the Rebbe told over the story, he was telling about how the Frierdige Rebbe related this story to a mekurav. The Rebbe paused and explained: the mekurav would not have been able to comprehend the terms ‘komah of AK’ – machshava hakedumah de’AK”, and the FR therefore used simpler terms when relating it to him].

The Mitteler Rebbe then asked the Alter Rebbe: “And with what did you daven today?” To which the Alter Rebbe responded “With the shtender!”, meaning that he davened by contemplating on the fact that even the shtender is being constantly renewed and recreated by the dvar Hashem.