Weekly Chasidic Story #1414 (5785-16) 13 Tevet 5785 (Jan.13,
2025)
"The Mysterious Aroma of the Garden of Eden"
The Rebbetzin Shterna-Sarah Schneersohn was aware that her son, the
Rebbe Rayatz, knew the [2nd] Munkatcher Rebbe very well. She informed
him of her desire that she be able to gaze upon his holy face.
Why this Week? The 15th of the Jewish month of Tevet (2025: Jan. 15) is the
anniversary of the birth of the Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah.
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The Mysterious Aroma of the Garden of Eden
Rebbetzin Shterna-Sarah, wife of the fifth Lubavicher Rebbe,
R. Shalom-DovBer Schneersohn (the Rashab) and the mother of the sixth
Lubavitcher Rebbe, R. Yosef-Yitzchak Schneersohn (the Rayatz), was a
very humble and holy person in her own right. One of her pleasures in life was
to see holy Jews (tzadikim). One such tzadik was Rabbi Tzvi-Hersh
Shapira, known as the Munkatcher Rav. Besides knowing all
the books of the Torah and Kabbalah, this man was totally devoted to G-d every
moment of his life.
She was aware that her son knew this Rabbi very well, and she made it known
to her son that, should the opportunity present itself, she would like at least
to see him. Sure enough, that day came. The Holy Munkacher Rav was to meet with
her son to discuss important matters, and their meeting place would be the local
park, where they would stroll and talk for several hours.
The Rebbe told his mother the exact path they would be taking and advised her
to stand behind one of the trees on the route where she could get a good view
of this great man. The next day, the Rebbe and Munkacher Rav began their "walking"
discussion in the park as planned, but, in the middle of the stroll, the Munkacher
Rav suddenly stopped, raised his face upward and began smelling the air.
"Is something wrong?" the Rebbe asked. "Do you feel all right?"
"Yes, certainly I feel all right," the Rav replied. "But do
you smell that? I mean, do you smell anything unusual?"
"What do you mean?" the Rebbe asked, "What smell are you talking
about?"
"Why," the Rav replied in disbelief, "I smell the aroma of Gan
Eden (Heaven)"!
"Ach!" replied the Rebbe. "My mother is probably standing nearby.
What you smell is my mother!"
Thus, we see that the Rebbetzin Shterna-Sarah in her own right 'downloaded'
the smell of heaven to earth!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Compiled and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from reports by
Rabbis Y. Y. Jacobson and Tuvia Bolton.
Why this week: TEVET 15 (2025: Wednesday, Jan. 15) is the birth date
of the Rebbetzin Shterna-Sarah [and of my wife, Shulamit bat Aryeh-Leib HaKohen].
Biographic notes (in order of appearance):
Rebbetzin Shterna-Sarah Schneersohn [15 Tevet 5620 - 13 Shvat 5702 (Dec.
1860 - Jan. 1942)] was the daughter of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Avritch, a son
of the Tzemach Tzedek. At fifteen she became the wife of the fifth Lubavitcher
Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneerson, and five years later the mother of the
sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, her only child, named after her father.
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn [12 Tammuz 5640 - 10 Shvat 5710 (Jan.
1880-June 1950 C.E.)], known as the Rebbe Rayatz, was the sixth
Lubavitcher Rebbe, from 1920 to 1950. He established a network of Jewish educational
institutions and Chassidim that was the single most significant factor for the
preservation of Judaism during the dread reign of the communist Soviets. In
1940 he moved to the USA, established Chabad world-wide headquarters in Brooklyn
and launched the global campaign to renew and spread Judaism in all languages
and in every corner of the world, the campaign continued and expanded so remarkably
successfully by his son-in-law and successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
Rabbi Tzvi-Hersh Shapira [11 Tammuz 5610 (1850) - 16 Tishrei 5674 (1913)]
was a great-grandson of the Bnei Yissachar, and named for Rav Zvi-Hersh of Ziditchov
on whose yahrzeit he was born. In 1893, upon the death of his father Rabbi Shlomo,
he became the second Munkatcher Rav & Rebbe. He wrote significant
works on Jewish Law (Darkei Teshuva) and Kabbalah (B'er L'chai Roi on the Tikkunei
Zohar) which was his primary area of study. He arranged the opening of a Kollel
in Jerusalem and raised funds to support the kollel and community. After his
passing on the second day of Sukkos, 1913, he was succeeded by his only son,
Rabbi Chaim-Elazar Shapira, "the Minchas Elazar," as Rav and
Rebbe of Munkatch. [based on Jewish Press.com]
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.
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