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Weekly Chasidic Story #1388 (5784-45) 9 Tammuz 5784 (July 15, 2024) "Spiritual Children, Spiritual Love" The two young students stared at the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe in confusion. Perhaps they hadn't heard him correctly - the Rebbe, who due to Soviet tortures, was not well, spoke unclearly, making comprehension difficult. The Rebbe repeated his question. Why this week? 12-13 of Tammuz (Wednesday night until Shabbat) is the 97th anniversary of the Rebbe Rayatz's liberation from Soviet imprisonment, torture and death threats. Story in PDF format for more convenient printing SPIRITUAL CHILDREN, SPIRITUAL LOVE1) "My Spiritual Children" Rabbi Yehuda Leib Posner[1] relates: It was during that year that the Rebbe Rayatz had decided to open a Lubavitcher yeshiva for lower grades. My brother and I, however, were learning elsewhere, at "Torah Vadaas" - an excellent but non-Lubavitcher school. Nevertheless, every so often we'd hop over to 770 [Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights district of Brooklyn]. We were supposed to go home to Chicago for Passover, but since I was going to celebrate my bar mitzvah on 11 Nissan [4 days before Passover] that year, I had asked for yechidus with my brother before we left. In those days, yechidus took place three times a week: Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. Since our bus was leaving Sunday afternoon, our appointment was set for Thursday night. Rabbi Simpson phoned us at ten p.m. "It's late," he said, "and the Rebbe is tired. I can get you in at the next earliest opportunity." "But we have to leave Sunday afternoon," I protested. "We won't be able to have yechidus on Sunday night." Rabbi Simpson sighed. "Well, in that case, you can have yechidus Saturday night." It was Motzei Shabbos (the night immediately following Shabbat's end at nightfall). My brother and I waited at 770, but Rabbi Simpson, who lived in Boro Park - another Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn - had not yet arrived. Finally, we phoned him and said that since he had promised us a yechidus, what were we supposed to do? His reply: "Go to Rabbi Shmuel Levitin [a leading senior chassid]." Rabbi Levitin in turn directed us to Chaim Lieberman, the Rebbe's secretary. We knocked at his office door and explained the situation. He said, "Go down and go in." We stared at him in shock, but he said, "Nu, nu; go in." Before entering the Rebbe's office, I told my brother to knock at the door. He did, and opened the door a bit. The Rebbe was seated at his desk. As we timidly entered, I noticed that when he saw us, he smiled, and our fear dissipated. We stopped before his desk. "Are you returning by bus?" was the Rebbe's first question. We stared at him, in confusion. Perhaps we hadn't heard him correctly - since by then the Rebbe, who was not well, spoke unclearly, making comprehension difficult. The Rebbe repeated his question and we answered affirmatively. He then asked, "Will you davven (pray) on the bus in the morning?" Once again, we answered in the affirmative. "With tefillin too?" he asked. When we said yes, he said, "Good." Then the Rebbe explained, "Everything must be according to the place and time, and according to the place and time, I am satisfied with you. "But with your father, who was in Lubavitch, it is completely different. Still, from you, more is demanded than of "kinder (children) from the street." "You are my children," the Rebbe continued. "To your parents, you are fleishigdike kinder - children of the flesh - but to me, you are spiritual children." Then we spoke about the upcoming bar mitzvah, and the Rebbe wished us a good trip. 2) "A Far Greater Love" Rabbi Yisroel Gordon [2]relates: The chasid, who of course refused to do anything without consulting the Rebbe, wrote the latter for advice. The Rebbe Rayatz replied: "The woman should remain at home, without an abortion. The child will be fine." And that is what happened - the child was born healthy. And this isn't just 'one of those stories'; I am that child! Since there was no telephone or telegraph in that town, my father had no way of informing the Rebbe of my birth. So instead, he took money as a redemptive donation and placed inside a Tanya (the foundational book of Chabad chasidut) a written request: that the healthy boy his wife gave birth to would merit to become a genuine chasid. From this story we learn that chasidim always knew about the great love the Rebbe had for them, and they reciprocated with great love towards him. In his discourses, the Rebbe Rayatz stressed that the Rebbe's love for a chasid is far greater than the love parents have for their children. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why this week? 12-13 of Tammuz (Wednesday night until Shabbat) is the 97th anniversary of the Rebbe Rayatz's liberation from Soviet imprisonment, torture and death threats. Biographical note: Footnotes
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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.