Weekly Chasidic Story #1009 (s5777-27
/ 7 Nissan 5777)
The Broader Outlook
"As far as I know, the Lubavitcher Rebbe never visited London and
had no first-hand knowledge of London."
Connection: Seasonal--the 116th anniversary of the birth of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe
The Broader Outlook
When one developed a relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe
of our generation --and I (Ephraim "Freddie" Hager) think this is
true for most people--it helped one realize more about oneself. It wasn't about
analyzing the Rebbe, like going to interview a great man and finding out more
about him; it was about meeting yourself.
The second time I went into "yechidus" -- a private audience
with the Rebbe -- was Yud Shevat 5730/1970. Many of us flew over especially
for it, the 20th anniversary of the sixth Rebbe's passing and the Rebbe's succession
to the leadership. It was Sunday evening, and the Rebbe's secretary Rabbi Groner
called me over and said that the Rebbe wants to see each of the guests in yechidus.
I never expected to receive a yechidus, because I had one some five
months previously. This night it was a ten minute yechidus, which was
much shorter than the previous time. There were hundreds of people going in
that night. In that yechidus, the Rebbe asked me, "What do the students
in London University do about kosher food?"
So I said, "Well, they are now rebuilding Hillel House; it'll be finished
in October and then there will be facilities." This was January, 1970.
So the Rebbe looked at me, a piercing look...and he says, "So tell me:
Until October is it permissible to eat non-kosher food?" I felt very, very
stupid.
Before I go on, I must say this: As far as I know, the Rebbe never visited
London and had no first-hand knowledge of London.
"As far as I understand," the Rebbe continued, "the University
of London is not a typical university campus with all the colleges in one location,
but the colleges are spread out and dotted around parts of the town; so would
I not be correct in saying that only a committed student who is specifically
looking for kosher food will come to the Hillel House?"
Of course I agreed.
So the Rebbe says, "What do we do about the other students?"
Silence from yours truly...
The Rebbe said, "Wouldn't it be a good idea to make a meal service and
actively invite people to come and eat kosher food?"
So I got very enthusiastic and I warmed to the theme and I said, "That's
a wonderful idea! And we could have lectures and guest speakers, and draw them
closer to Torah Judaism..."
The Rebbe held up his hand and said, "That's very nice and it may be a
good idea, but that's not what I have in mind. What I have in mind with this
suggestion is purely that a Jewish boy should sit next to a Jewish girl; he
should sit eating a kosher meal next to a Jewish girl rather than eating a non-kosher
meal next to a non-Jewish girl."
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I told the Rebbe "We'll do it."
And we did it.
I came back to London and talked to a friend of mine, a very enthusiastic young
man, and we arranged a meal service. We collaborated with one of the then major
restaurants in London and they delivered meals to three colleges; I think it
was London School of Economics, Kings College and Imperial College in London.
And the service went on for many years. I think, in some sort of transmuted
way, it still continues.
The service was a tremendous success. We used to go out two or three times
a week raising money because it needed a lot of subsidy and I think I did more
of that than studying at university. I think my grades reflected that fact,
but we won't dwell on that...
This came out of one ten minute yechidus! And it was only part of a
ten minute yechidus ...It was a monumental, cataclysmic idea which must
have changed many peoples' lives.
There are a number of leaders-rabbis, rebbes, heads of yeshivas, who
worry about their communities--and that's great, very laudable and very wonderful,
and we need more leaders like that. But the Rebbe had a broader outlook. He
was concerned about the wider world. He was concerned about people that he'd
never met, that he may possibly never meet but that concerned him, and it wouldn't
let him sleep and it wouldn't let him rest until he did something about it...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Excerpted by Yerachmiel Tilles from a mailing
of "JEM - Here's My Story" (//JEmedia.org), as part of their extraordinary
"My Encounter with the Rebbe" project, documenting the life of the
Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson of righteous memory, in one of the
thousand plus videotaped interviews conducted to date with seniors who knew
the Rebbe in the early years, even in the 30's and 40's before he became the
Rebbe.
Ephraim "Freddie" Hager was interviewed in his home in London in the
summer of 2007. He passed away in 2011.
Connection: Seasonal--the 115th anniversary of the birth
of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Biographical
note:
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe:
[11 Nissan 5662 - 3 Tammuz 5754 (April 1902 - June 1994 C.E.)], became the seventh
Rebbe of the Chabad dynasty after his father-in-law's passing on 10 Shvat 5710
(1950 C.E.). He is widely acknowledged as the greatest Jewish leader of the
second half of the 20th century. Although a dominant scholar in both the revealed
and hidden aspects of Torah and fluent in many languages and scientific subjects,
the Rebbe is best known for his extraordinary love and concern for every Jew
on the planet. His emissaries around the globe are dedicated to strengthening
Judaism number in the thousands. Hundreds of volumes of his teachings have been
printed, as well as dozens of English renditions.
Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.
To receive the Story by e-mail every Wednesday--sign
up here!
"Festivals of the
Full Moon"
(Under the Full Moon" vol 2 - holiday stories)
is now available
for purchase from ASCENT
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Book 1 of Yerachmiel Tilles's 3-volume set,
"Saturday Night, Full Moon",
is also available for purchase on
our KabbalaOnline-shop
site.
Important notice: Due
to a change in publishers, both
books will no longer be available online or in stores
until November --
ONLY THROUGH US!
back to Top back
to this year's Story Index Stories
home page Stories Archives
|