To the Rebbe by foot

There was a chosid who used to travel to the Rebbe every year by foot. Despite the fact that there were various means of transportation available, the chosid insisted on making the tedious journey by foot. As he advanced in age, the trek became more arduous, but the chosid stubbornly clung to his practice of walking the entire way.

When asked why he wouldn’t consider other much more convenient and comfortable modes of transportation, the chosid explained: ‘I am performing such a lofty mitzvah, that I have the merit to perform each year, and I have no intention of sharing it with a horse!’

Not Competition

Rabbi Kramer a”h (one of the senior Lubavitcher Chassidim in Montreal, who was instrumental in establishing both the Lubavitcher Yeshiva and the community there) was once in Yechidus by the Rebbe. During the yechidus, the Rebbe asked him about the litvishe Yeshiva in Montreal. He told the Rebbe that it is in a basement. In answer to the Rebbe’s further query, he informed the Rebbe that they don’t have air-conditioning.

The Rebbe instructed him unequivocally to do whatever it takes to get them into a building, with working ac. Rabbi Kramer, who understood well what kind of an undertaking this would be, was astounded. There was so much work still needed for the upkeep and maintenance of the Lubavitcher Yeshiva (that the Frierdige Rebbe had instructed him to found, and to which he dedicated his heart and soul). How could he divert his efforts to other projects?!

He asked the Rebbe, in surprise, “But they are our competition?!”

The Rebbe replied: “First of all, Tomchei Temimim does not have any competition. Secondly, a Yeshiva cannot be in a basement, and it must have air conditioning, so if this is not being taken care of without you, you have no choice but to address it”!

The right amount

In the chof’s (the 60’s) there was a frum Jew who was employed in Israel by the Israeli army. Specifically, he was in charge of “chalalei tzahal” or of dealing with the casualties amongst the soldiers.

One year, this individual had occasion to have a yechidus by the Rebbe. During the yechidus, he said to the Rebbe: “This year there were 30 “chalalei tzahal” (IDF casualties), and I would like to request a brocho from the Rebbe that next year there should be even less.

The Rebbe became very serious, and said “This year there were 33”.

The man saw no point in arguing with the Rabbi, so he politely remained silent, completed his yechidus, and left. Some time after he returned to Eretz Yisroel, he received a communication from headquarters, informing him of a problem with their calculations, and that there had in fact been 33 casualties that year.

A year later he was once again in NY, and again entered the room of the Rebbe for a yechidus. This time, however, he thought to himself ‘there does not appear to be any point in me giving over information to the Rebbe, he already seems to know it better than me’. However, he was very puzzled by the story and couldn’t resist asking the Rebbe how, in fact, the Rebbe had known.

The Rebbe looked at him and remarked “Alleh neshomos fun di velt darfen adurchgein di tzimmer!” [All neshomos that enter or leave this world must pass through this room, so it’s only natural that the Rebbe should have their accurate count]!

To the Rebbe by foot

There was a chosid who used to travel to the Rebbe every year by foot. Despite the fact that there were various means of transportation available, the chosid insisted on making the tedious journey by foot. As he advanced in age, the trek became more arduous, but the chosid stubbornly clung to his practice of walking the entire way.

When asked why he wouldn’t consider other much more convenient and comfortable modes of transportation, the chosid explained: ‘I am performing such a lofty mitzvah, that I have the merit to perform each year, and I have no intention of sharing it with a horse!’

The Goat

Once, Chassidim were farbrenging in the house of the Rashbatz. After some time they ran out of farbeissen, and they were trying to find a way to obtain some more.

The Rashbatz owned a goat, that provided him with milk, and was a source of livelihood for the family. However, recognizing that provisions for a farbrengen take precedence over anything else, when the Chassidim were unsuccessful in replenishing the supplies, the Rashbatz brought his goat and slaughtered it, providing ample farbeisen for the remainder of the farbrengen.

In the morning, the wife of the Rashbatz came screaming that their goat was stolen. But he calmed her down. She, however, would not calm down, insisting that they must take immediate action, and all the while the Rashbatz told her not to worry, that he knew its whereabouts.   

Finally, he couldn’t put her off any more, so he explained to her: “The goat is still here as before; the difference is only that until now it was saying “baaaaah baaaaaaah”, and now, instead, it is saying “Hashem Echad”!

The Rebbe's dog

Eliezer was a young child, growing up in Crown Heights in the mem’s (1980’s). Although, generally speaking, he was a regular Lubavitcher kid, there was one thing unique about him. Because his father was a diamond dealer, the family owned a dog – a Rottweiler – for security reasons. The dog was, by necessity, a big and vicious one, and practically towered over the little boy. When they walked together on the streets of Crown Heights, it was the dog that forcefully led the way, while Eliezer was pretty much dragged along at the end of the leash. Needless to say, anyone else out walking at the same time gave the two of them a wide berth.

Once, Eliezer was out walking with the dog, barely restraining the powerful and energetic dog – as usual -, when suddenly the dog stopped in his place, literally slinking down, with his tail between his feet. Before Eliezer had too much opportunity to wonder at the dog’s uncharacteristic behavior, he suddenly saw the Rebbe pass by right in front of him. Amazed, he turned to the Rebbe and asked: “how is it that you’re not afraid of my dog?” The Rebbe smiled to him and replied: “When I was your age, I had an even bigger dog than this.”

Naturally, Eliezer found the Rebbe’s words puzzling, and shared them with his father. His father later shared with him what he had learned from eltere Chassidim, that would shed light on the Rebbe’s words: When the Rebbe was a young child, the streets in Russia were not a safe place for Jewish children (to put it mildly). Therefore, for added security, the Rebbe would take a large dog with him when he went to the beis medrash.

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)].