702 Beis MoshiachThe following letter was written by the Frierdike Rebbe about his impending visit to Eretz Yisroel and was received on the 17th of Tammuz 5689 (1929): Yeshivas Toras

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contents

BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIERStory| Nosson Avrohom18

MIVTZA MOSHIACH: OLD HAT ORFRESH AIR?Moshiach & Geula

6

REB ZALMAN SKOBLO Chassid | Menachem ben Eliezer28

“BEIS MOSHIACH”Shlichus | Mendel Tzfasman36

TOMCHEI T’MIMIM IN BLOCK 17 Memoirs | Rabbi Shneur Zalman Chanin12

THE WHOLE LAND: WHAT SHLUCHIMCAN DOShlichus | Raanan S. Isseroff

24

THEY ARE READY, THAT’S FOR SUREShlichus | Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz21

THEIR DUTY TO RECEIVE THE REBBEWITH APPROPRIATE HONORThe Rebbe Rayatz’s Letter

4

702:Beis Moshiach 06/07/2009 7:44 AM Page 3

The following letter was written by the Frierdike Rebbeabout his impending visit to Eretz Yisroel and wasreceived on the 17th of Tammuz 5689 (1929):

Yeshivas Toras Emes,Headed by the Rabbis and Chassidim,the Menahalim and Principals of the Yeshivos, G-dBless them, in the Holy City of Jerusalem, may it bespeedily rebuilt.

Greetings and Blessings,

In the country of my birth I was accustomed to visitfrom time to time the holy resting places of my holyforebears, our Rebbes of blessed memory, to pray thereand to awaken great mercy for ourselves, our talmidimand Anash, together with all our brethren, may theylive long. I am at present precluded from travelling tothe country of my birth and I have decided, with thehelp of G-d, to make the journey to our Holy Land,may it be speedily rebuilt, to visit the holy places there.

I had been unable to finalize my travel plans until I hadascertained what documents and permits were requiredby law. I have today received information together withall the necessary permits and documents and I am nowable to advise you that, with G-d’s help, I will start thejourney together with my son-in-law, Rabbi ShmaryahuGurary, on Tuesday 22nd of Tammuz through Brindisi,on the boat which leaves on Sunday for Alexandria.

I think that the duration of our stay in the Holy Landwill be two weeks. During that time I want, with G-d’shelp, to visit different places. I will plan my itinerary onarrival.

With blessings

[signed]

Excerpt from Rabbi Shimon Glitzenstein’s diary of thevisit:

The Rebbe’s intended visit has aroused a specialinterest. It is well known that all the Chabad Rabbishad a strong desire to go to Eretz Yisroel and wereprevented by extraordinary obstacles, such as thosewhich caused the Alter Rebbe to cancel his journeywhile he was already en route.

The work for the Holy Land initiated and executed bythe holy chain of Chabad Rabbis and especially thegreat work of the Rebbe for Orthodox Jewry is wellknown. Since the Rebbe transcends parties andmovements, all sections of Jewry in Eretz Yisroel havecommenced preparations to receive him. His reputation— his efforts for the continuation of Judaism, elevatingTorah and mitzvos through great self-sacrifice — issuch that everyone realizes that it is their duty to receivethis exceptional person with appropriate honor…

NOTE: The Rebbe’s visit in Tammuz preceded by threeweeks the Chevron massacres of 1929. Special permitsfor three people to accompany the Rebbe and his partywere obtained for the occasion. The generalarrangements for the Rebbe’s visit to Eretz Yisroel hadbeen made by Rabbi Eliezer Dan Slonim, who also tookresponsibility for the Rebbe’s visit to the Cave ofMachpela and the other holy places. Entry to the mosqueover the Cave of Machpela was normally forbidden toJews and (non-Jews), but on this occasion Rabbi Slonimsucceeded in obtaining special permits to enter.

From Challenge: AnEncounter With Lubavitch-Chabad in Israel (1973 -- Lubavitch Foundation of Great Britain)

the rebbe’s letter

BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 702 5

THEIR DUTY TO RECEIVE THE REBBEWITH APPROPRIATE HONOR

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LIVING WITH MOSHIACHALL THE TIME – IS IT

POSSIBLE?R’ Friedman: Each of us wants

to live with Moshiach and Geulawith a chayus and simcha as theRebbe wants, but our lives are fullof ups and downs and changes thatmake it hard for us to stay on trackfor the long term. How can we takeadvantage of the good times, whenwe are inspired, and apply thatinspiration and chayus to the“down” times that we experience?

R’ Notik: We all have ups anddowns. All living things experienceconstant change. The only thing thatdoesn’t change is the picture on thewall. If the face in the picture issmiling, it will smile all the time.

In the Rebbe’s sichos and lettersthere is an answer for everything,and the answer is simple: kabbalasol. What do I mean? When you feelinspired and you make a hachlatathat you will give a shiur in D’varMalchus once a week, or every dayafter davening you will make surethat in the place you daven or workyou will say a brief thought onMoshiach and Geula, then this issacred. For this is the only shlichusthat remains – kabbalas p’neiMoshiach Tzidkeinu.

If you have kabbalas ol, it makesno difference whether you’re in agood mood or not, or if you’re livingwith Moshiach today or not; you dowhat you have to do. Thanks tokabbalas ol, when you set aside yourpersonal feeling and do what has tobe done, you will feel the chayus in agreater way.

R’ CLY Ginsberg: The answer issimple but it needs to be repeatedagain and again. Everybody, men,women, and children, shouldcommit to something they can do.The thing that gives chayus islearning the weekly D’var Malchus.Not a week should go by withoutlearning it. Learn it again and again,with a chavrusa, in a shiur, before

18 Tammuz 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH6

mosh iach & geu la

The desire to “live” with Moshiachdissipates sometimes when experiencingpersonal difficulties and this causesgreat frustration. How can we constantly“live” with Moshiach and Geula? Howcan we transmit the message of Geula topeople who have heard it from us foryears already? As important as it is tolearn the sichos of 5751-5752, whatabout the rest of the Rebbe’s teachings? *These questions were asked of threemashpiim in a forum held by the “MattehMoshiach” in Eretz Yisroel.

MIVTZA MOSHIACH:

OLD HAT ORFRESH AIR?

PARTICIPANTSR’ Chaim Levi Yitzchok GinsbergMashpia, yeshivas Chabad Rishon L’Tziyon and in Kfar ChabadR’ Chaim Yosef GinsburgShliach, rosh yeshiva and rav in Ramat AvivR’ Zalman NotikMashpia, Toras Emes YerushalayimModerator: R’ Menachem Mendel FriedmanShliach in Ohr Yehuda



davening or afterwards, learningwith a k’vius b’nefesh.

With Hashem’s help we will havesichos from 5769, but as long as wehaven’t heard sichos yet this Hakhelyear, the sichos of the D’varMalchus are our main source ofchayus.

I traveled today to Yerushalayimfrom B’nei Brak on the 402 bus line.I got on the bus and someone cameover to me and asked whether I’dlike a cup of tea or cold water. Thenhe announced, “Who wants to learnGemara? We’re starting a shiur inDaf Yomi now.” Nearly everybodywas willing. The driver said that ifthe passengers agreed, he wouldprovide the microphone. We traveledfor an hour and learned the Dafalong with stories and parables. I feltit was a type of Hakhel. I feltashamed … look what he’s doing,and what about me?

When he finished the shiur hesaid, “This is not my idea. It’s aproject of the Kaliver Rebbe. He saidthat whoever wants to do this on thebuses will get microphones andGemaras. Today we have thirty

maggidei shiur doing this on buses.” It was hashgacha pratis that I

saw what can be done. The Rebbesays that the world is a keili, whatabout us?

R’ Notik: There are somebachurim in Chabad yeshivos who,when they go on buses, ask thedriver’s permission and saysomething about Moshiach to all thepassengers. This has been going onsince 5755. Maybe we should startgiving out D’var Malchus and have ashiur with the text. That would begreat, with each one equipped with amicrophone.

R’ Yossi Ginsburg: In the sichaof 2 Nissan, 5748, the Rebbe saidthat the king is the heart of all Israel,so when the Rebbe is in the forefrontof our minds, this gives us constantchayus.

There are two ways of looking atthings: You can think that 15 yearshave already passed [since GimmelTamuz] and walk around with aTisha B’Av face, or you can danceand rejoice that we are already in theyear of “Chai,” for it is 18 yearsalready that we have this lofty

revelation in the world [since 5751when the Rebbe announced thatMoshiach proclaims that the time ofyour redemption has arrived].

Someone asked me today – Whatdo we do? 18 years have passedalready!

I asked him: The Rebbe says wehave the “air of Moshiach.” Doesthe air of Moshiach grow rancid?What are you afraid of?

Obviously, we want to have notjust the air of Moshiach but the lightand gilui etc. but we must rememberthat if we are connected to theRebbe, then the Rebbe is the sourceof our lives and gives us chayus.

Another point – one of thesharpest things we heard the Rebbesay in the sicha of 28 Nissan wasthat everything was l’hevel v’la’rik –in vain. This wasn’t said merely toshake us up; it’s an instruction. In avery real sense, if we don’t achieveour goal, we haven’t achievedanything.

We can become weak and start to“live” with other things, and that’snatural, because every living thingmoves and changes. It may even be



the case that those who accomplishgreat things have a harder test, foroftentimes success can lead todistraction. Cognizant of this, theRebbe says we need to be stubborn.A stubborn person is someone whocannot be enticed by material orspiritual things. This is what theRebbe is saying, that at every stage,even when you feel “on a high” withunexpected success, that’s just vanityuntil and unless we see the Rebbeagain. Until that point, we can’t stopbeing stubborn.

SICHOS OF THE PASTAND THE SICHOS OFTHE D’VAR MALCHUSR’ Friedman: A Chassid once

told me that while he knows thatthere is an inyan to reviewing thesichos of 5751-2 and inyanim ofGeula, he nonetheless prefersreviewing a different sicha forwhich he’ll get greater feedbackand which the crowd might enjoymore. What’s the right thing to do?

R’ Notik: Sometimes, in order toget people to listen more to thesichos of 5751-5752, you need toarouse their interest. If you reviewthe same sicha every year, theywon’t listen to the sicha of 5751-2.In my opinion, it’s fine to review adifferent sicha every time fromLikkutei Sichos, but in the last fouror five minutes say something ofinyanei Moshiach and Geula from5751-2.

The same applies for theShabbos meals. You have to reviewdifferent sichos. Nobody thinks thatyou have to close all the LikkuteiSichos and not learn them anymore.All the sichos from all the years needto be repeated in an interesting wayand through this interest you will getpeople to enjoy listening to the finalfive minutes on Moshiach too.

When Rabbi Shabtai Slavatickiwent on shlichus to Belgium, heasked the Rebbe for guidance. The

Rebbe told him to work half a day indiamonds. This seemed very strangeto him, to go on shlichus and workhalf a day in diamonds? When he

got there, he realized that if hedidn’t spend half a day ondiamonds, he would be considered anonentity. You’re not a mentch ifyou don’t work in diamonds there.

The same here: You have toknow your audience and how topublicize inyanei Moshiach andGeula to them in the best possibleway. Every place is different. If youdaven in a shul of scholarly people,you have to review a sicha in Niglehwith a pilpul on points in Shas andnot a Chumash-Rashi sicha. Then,when people are impressed, you usethe final minutes for inyaneiMoshiach and Geula. In the first tenminutes you turned the person intoa keili and in the final minutes youfilled the keili with light.

R’ CLY Ginsberg: In every sichaof 5751-2 there are many detailsand angles that can be reviewed overseveral years. Of course you are notsupposed to close the LikkuteiSichos and all the sichos andmaamarim need to be learned, butthe main emphasis needs to be onthis.

We have to be stubborn about5751-2. Whatever form we presentit in, we need to learn and teach it.The best way is for a person to learnthe entire sicha a few times and livewith it and try to get others to livewith it to whatever extent possible,“lights of Tohu in vessels ofTikkun.”

R’ Yossi Ginsburg: We have ashiur on D’var Malchus every weekfor several years now yet I find thatI’m learning something new everyyear. After all, we have been learningTanya not only for 18 years but 200years and each of us feels and knowsthat each time we learn Tanya, it’sfresh and we notice new things. Thesame is true for the D’var Malchus.

The words the Rebbe used in thesicha of 28 Nissan are, “lights ofTohu in vessels of Tikkun.” You canlearn the sicha of the D’var Malchusand be so immersed in the “vessels”

I got on the bus andsomeone came overto me and askedwhether I’d like acup of tea or coldwater. Then heannounced, “Whowants to learnGemara? We’restarting a shiur inDaf Yomi now.”Nearly everybodywas willing. Thedriver said that ifthe passengersagreed, he wouldprovide themicrophone. Wetraveled for an hourand learned the Dafalong with storiesand parables. I feltit was a type ofHakhel. I feltashamed … lookwhat he’s doing,and what aboutme?



of the sicha that the light isn’t there.Sometimes you can listen tosomeone and the “hottest” lines inthe sicha are said in such a factualand dry manner that the “fire” of thesicha is lost.

When reviewing sichos fromearlier volumes, if the fire of inyaneiMoshiach burns within you, thenyou will find the Geula angle in it,and either say it at the end or workit into the sicha as you say it.

In Chassidus it’s explained thatthere are two kinds of teacher andstudent: the teacher who teachesmaterial and the student knows a lotof information, and the teacher whoteaches the method and ability tolearn, and then the student knowshow to learn, which is consideredthe better way. The Rebbe doesn’tjust teach us material but a way oflearning. In the sichos of the D’varMalchus there is an array of topicsin Torah, Nigleh and Chassidus, inp’shat, remez, drush, and sod andthe Rebbe merely shows us how inevery inyan and from every possibleangle, you can put in the chayus ofMoshiach. When you learn this wayof thinking from the Rebbe, it will beexpressed in how you learn Tanya,how you learn Likkutei Sichos,maamarim, and even Chumash andRashi.

PEOPLE WANT TO HEARSOMETHING NEW

R’ Friedman: For years now wehave been promising ourmekuravim that “hinei hineiMoshiach ba,” and they say, “Youtold me that years ago.” They’remaking a good point. Where’s thefulfillment of the Rebbe’sprophecy? How come the BeisHaMikdash is not built and wedon’t see the Rebbe?

R’ Notik: In the sicha of 28Sivan, the Rebbe says that Hashem,as it were, needs the Jewish peopleto proclaim that not only isMoshiach about to come and needs

to come, but the true and completeGeula is actually here.

It’s important to point out thingsin people’s lives, in the world aroundus, and to show how we can see thatMoshiach is continually having agreater and greater effect on theworld. I met someone who said,“Nu, Moshiach, what’s happening?Where is he?”

I said, “In the last ‘general letter’that the Rebbe wrote, for Nissan5752, he said that we see howMoshiach is operating in the world.Since that letter, every Nissan of

every year, we can see how this hasintensified over the previous year.”

I told him, “Look, the month ofNissan came and suddenly we hearthat Egypt is the biggest fighteragainst Hamas and so in aroundabout way, they are defendingJews. True, they have their owninterests; so did the firstborns inMitzrayim, and yet the Rebbe pointsat this as ‘the firstborns[themselves] killing the Egyptians.’”

I live in Yerushalayim amongultra-Orthodox Jews. When they askthis question (i.e., where isMoshiach), I say, “Tell me, did youbelieve that there would be asituation like this that in dozens ofChassidishe yeshivos, non-Chabadyeshivos, and lately even in Litvisheyeshivos, they learn Chassidus everyweek, Tanya, sichos of the Rebbe,maamarim of the Rebbe?

“Would you have believed thatthere would be a shiur in the D’varMalchus every week with 25participants in the home of the roshyeshiva of Itri, Rabbi Elifant? Wouldyou believe that there are occasionalfarbrengens and the singing of Yechithere?”

So when you talk to someoneabout this, you could say, “Listen,we are waiting for the big Event, forthe Beis HaMikdash to descendfrom heaven and the Rebbe to leadthe Jewish people on clouds etc, butat the same time the Rebbe isdemanding of us that we be part ofthe Geula process.”

We all know about the Rebbe’scry in the sicha of 28 Nissan, whentwo days earlier, in the sicha of 26Nissan at the “general yechidus,” theRebbe said not to be ashamed but togo out and dance and see themiracles and wonders that Hashemis doing for us now, and that ifsomeone says that he doesn’t see it,then you need to explain to him thatHashem is doing miracles andwonders now.

So there are two simultaneous

If you daven in ashul of scholarlypeople, you have toreview a sicha inNigleh with apilpul on points inShas and not aChumash-R ash isicha. Then, whenpeople areimpressed, you usethe final minutesfor inyaneiMoshiach andGeula. In the firstten minutes youturned the personinto a keili and inthe final minutesyou filled the keiliwith light.



approaches and this makes it easierto arouse the longing for Moshiach.For when you show that Moshiach isalready in the world, this strengthensthe cry of “ad masai,” because if weare already experiencing thesegiluyim, we want the ultimatehisgalus.

R’ CLY Ginsberg: There is apoint that I constantly repeat. MosheRabbeinu told the Jewish people inEgypt, “thus says Hashem,remember have I remembered,” andhe did signs and wonders “and thenation believed.” But right after theGeula process began they took a bigstep backward, to the point that theJewish people complained, “you havesoured our spirits in the eyes ofPharaoh and the eyes of his servants,to give a sword in their hand to killus.”

It was then, after MosheRabbeinu’s news of Geula, thatthings went downhill and Moshe leftthe scene for Midyan (there areseveral opinions in the Midrash if hewas there for three months, sixmonths, or a year and a half). Peopleasked, what’s going on? Where ishe?

The Rebbe repeats one line: Inthe merit of faith, our ancestorswere redeemed from Egypt. Whendo you need faith? When you don’tsee and don’t understand and still,“and they believed in Hashem andMoshe His servant.”

The same is true for ourgeneration. The Rebbe beganannouncing the Besuras Ha’Geula,“the time for your redemption hasarrived,” etc. and raised ourconsciousnesses to the highestawareness of Geula. Thensuddenly…collapse, and alongcomes an Intifada, an expulsionfrom Gush Katif, economic woes,etc. The natural question is where isMoshe? Where is the Rebbe whoannounced the Besuras Ha’Geula?This is precisely the time that weneed emuna which is the merit that

got our ancestors out of Egypt.In the writings of the Arizal

(Seifer HaGilgulim, chapter 13), theArizal compares Moshiach to Mosheand describes him thus: “Moshe willbe a tzaddik, born of a man andwoman, and his righteousness willbe great and many shall go beforehim. At first he will not know that heis Moshiach, like Moshe Rabbeinudid not know that he had to be theredeemer, until Hashem tells him.So too, Hashem will be revealed toMoshiach and send him to redeemthe Jewish people. Then he willknow that he is Moshiach and somepeople will recognize him as such,but not all. Just as Moshe went upthe mountain and stayed there forforty days and forty nights, so toowith Moshiach, he will have an aliyaof his body and soul like that ofMoshe on the mountain, when hewill receive the G-dly abilities tobring the Geula. Then he will returnand descend the mountain andeveryone will acknowledge him and

he will bring the Geula.”The Arizal writes explicitly about

our situation today and stresses thatit’s not a matter of the soul leavingthe body but the neshama and bodygoing up together in order to receiveG-dly abilities to bring the Geula.

There is a maamer of the AlterRebbe (N’viim p. 60) that explainsthat the statement “Dovid, King ofIsrael is chai v’kayam” is for ourtime when Moshiach will be hiddenaway. Even when it seems as thoughit is not the case, we need theemuna that he is chai v’kayam andin the merit of emuna, we will beredeemed.

These points can be made topeople, and in my experience, itreally inspires them to know thatnow it is emuna that will bring theGeula.

R’ Yossi Ginsburg: It’sexplained that the distance between99% and 100% [i.e. the attainmentof absolute perfection] is greaterthan the distance between 0 % and99%. So too here, when a personbelieves or trusts in something 99%,as time goes by and the thingdoesn’t happen, his belief wanes. Aperson who was confident that hewould make a lot of money reachesthe age of 40, 50, 60 and it didn’thappen, and he is no longer so surethat it ever will.

However, if a person is 100%sure, then this doesn’t weaken. Onthe contrary, the longer it takes, thestronger his belief gets. The nimshalis obvious. If we are convinced thatwhat the Rebbe said is true, thatMoshe is true and his Torah is true,then as time passes, even a difficultperiod of time, the belief getsstronger. The surprising thing is notthe emuna but the amount of timethat is passing without Moshiachcoming. But we know that theamount of time left is shrinking andwe will immediately see the Rebbe.

We are waiting forthe big Event, forthe BeisHaMikdash todescend fromheaven and theRebbe to lead theJewish people onclouds etc, but atthe same time theRebbe isdemanding of usthat we be part ofthe Geula process.


My parents stayed in the Hofcamp, which I wrote about in thelast installment, for only a few days.From there the Bricha agents tookthem in an American-owned truckto the DP camp in Poking. Myparents and their group stayed therefor about two months.

Germany had been divided afterthe war between Russia, America,England, and France. Poking, or theValdshtat (forest city), as the localscalled it, was in the American zonein the Bamberg district, not far fromMunich. The camp served as a basefor the American Air Force beforebeing turned into a refugee camp.This DP camp, opened in January1946, was the second largest Jewishcamp in Europe. When my parentsarrived there, at the end of Av of

that year, it was already populatedby about 7000 people. According tothe records of the refugeecommand, in October of that yearthe camp contained precisely 7645Jews.

The camp in Poking was not atransit camp but an absorptioncamp. It absorbed the thousands ofHolocaust survivors who had noplace to go. In the first months ofthe camp’s existence, the Americanarmy supplied their food. Later on,the UNRRA and the Joint suppliedwhat was lacking and provided aidto those living in the camp.

Ironically, my parents andrelatives, as well as thousands ofother Jewish refugees, found respitehere, on the blood-soaked ground ofGermany. They no longer had a

need to flee for their lives. Thoughthis wasn’t their final destination,with their arrival in Poking myparents knew their frequentwanderings were at an end. Theystill lived out of suitcases but theywere able to take a breather andplan their future.

Like the rest of the refugees, theyalso began rebuilding their familylives. My father, who was acommunal worker by nature, got towork establishing a Chassidiccommunity in this temporarylocation. The community graduallydisintegrated as the members gotinstructions from the Rebbe whereto settle on a permanent basis.

Bit by bit, on various occasions,my mother told me about the campand with time, I put together adetailed picture of life in Poking.

“The camp consisted of rows oflong, one storey barracks – ‘blocks.’Each block had two doors, one ateach end of the barrack, and a longcorridor between them, with roomson either side of the hall. All thebarracks were identical and in orderto differentiate between them, eachblock was given a number.

“We were given the largest roomin Block 18. The room was for usalone. They gave us four foldingbeds and within a few days we alsogot a table and chairs.


memoirs

Ironically, my relatives, along withthousands of Jewish refugees, foundrespite in a DP camp on the blood-soaked ground of Germany. In no time,they established a Chassidic communityand even a yeshiva. * The next chapterin the memoirs of R’ Chaikel Chanin

TOMCHEIT�MIMIM INBLOCK 17By Rabbi Shneur Zalman Chanin



“There were altogether a fewhundred Chassidim in Poking, withour group of 46 arriving first. Theygave us six blocks adjacent to eachother at the edge of the camp. Block17 was designated right from thebeginning as the yeshiva andanother block was designated as theshul and beis midrash.”

My mother immediately swept,scrubbed, polished and organizedtheir room until it turned into apalace. Erev Shabbos, she took out awhite tablecloth that she hadbrought all the way from Tashkent,and spread it out on the table.

“We were given about 2000calories a day. The food includedbread, flour, milk, eggs, oil andsugar. We often got cans of fish andmeat and when special delegationsfrom the Joint came on occasion weeven got extras like coffee,chocolate, and cigarettes. The camphad a kitchen and a dining room butwe Lubavitchers did not eat therebecause of kashrus reasons.”

WHO WAS THE WOMANTHAT RESOLVED THEHALACHIC DEBATE?My brother-in-law, the Gaon and

Chassid R’ Isaac Schwei, roshyeshiva of Tomchei T’mimim inMontreal and rav on the rabbinicalboard of the Montreal, related:

“My father, R’ MordechaiEliyahu, received smicha from theRogatchover Gaon and served as ravin Finland. In 1936, by order of theRebbe Rayatz, we traveled toEstonia, where my father was ravand shochet. When the Nazisentered Estonia, we fled back toSoviet Russia. After manyadventures we arrived in Vophkend,where my father became sick anddied. Somehow we managed to jointhe Chassidim in Bucharia; mymother sent my older brother andme to Samarkand to learn in theyeshivas Tomchei T’mimim there

and then my younger brother andmother joined us.

“My mother, older brotherBoruch Sholom and youngerbrother Yankel (today mara d’asra inCrown Heights) and I left Russiawith most of Anash. We arrived inPoking with a group of Chassidimwho had come from Bucharia viaLvov by forging documents andsmuggling across borders.Fortunately, my mother knew Polishand she became our spokesperson.

When we arrived in Poking wereceived a quantity and variety offood that we were not used to. TheChassidim and rabbanim in thegroup began to discuss whether

according to halacha, consideringthe poor physical state of thechildren, the women, and even themen, we could eat the Americancanned food we were given.

“I was a young man and I sawthe hesitation on the faces ofChassidim I respected as authorities.Suddenly an aristocratic womanentered the room. The rabbanimstood up for her and cleared a placefor her and looked at her withrespect. She politely said she wantedto say a few words and she askedthe rabbis’ pardon and permission.There was utter silence in the room.

“‘I heard,’ she said, ‘that therabbis are discussing the food we

The Schwei brothers: R’ Isaac, R’ Aharon Yaakov, and R’ Boruch Sholom



were given and don’t know what totell people to do. I hereby state thatyou can eat it without any question.If you are wondering how I can beso certain, I will tell you that Ireceived packages from my son inAmerica and among the things hesent were items like these. My sononly sends me food that isunquestionably kosher.’

“After the woman left the room Iheard Rabbi Avrohom Elya Plotkinand Rabbi Avrohom Maiyor (Drizin)tell their families they could eat it.

“I didn’t know what to do andwhether it was still worth beingstringent and not to eat it. I askedmy friend, R’ Shneur ZalmanMorosov to ask his father (R’ DovidLeib Morosov, oldest son of R’Elchonon Morosov, Hy”d) what Ishould do. I also wanted to knowwho the authoritative woman waswhom the Chassidim so respected.

“I was told it was RebbetzinChana Schneersohn, wife of RabbiLevi Yitzchok who served as rav inDnepropetrovsk until he wasarrested and died in exile after muchsuffering. They told me that theRebbetzin was the mechutenes ofthe Rebbe and her son, R’Menachem Mendel, was his son-in-law. Obviously, she could be reliedupon 100%.”

IS IT KOSHER?The kashrus problem

preoccupied the Lubavitcherrefugees not only in Poking. Whileupstanding rabbis who led theJewish refugees in the DP campswere lenient regarding kashrus ongrounds of pikuach nefesh, becauseof the poor physical, medical, andemotional state of most of therefugees, the Lubavitchers did notrely on these leniencies. AsChassidim who went beyond theletter of the law, they were stringent.

R’ Shneur Zalman Garelik (thefirst rav in Kfar Chabad) and R’Shmaryahu Sossonkin (known as R’

Shmaryahu Batumer), for example,stayed in the Vienna-Austria DPcamp with their families and anothergroup of Anash. The campconditions were difficult butapparently what made life especiallyhard was not knowing whether toeat the food the Joint gave them ornot. They wrote a letter to theirfriend, R’ Yisroel Jacobson who wasin the United States:

We are here in this country andits outlying areas, several hundred ofour brethren, T’mimim and theirfamilies, until Hashem sends us Hisaid and we are able to see the Rebbe

shlita.For now we have to live lives of

privation both in our dwellings,which are not completely restful, andin our limited sustenance, especiallywhen we cannot benefit from anumber of the things that they giveus from the various organizationsbecause we are unsure of theirkashrus. We are asked but do notknow how to respond about certainthings because we do not know howthey are made, which is why we turnto you. Please investigate all thethings that are sent here from yourcountry. We get a kind of small fishin boxes called “conserves” (i.e.cans) and we need to know that it isnot mixed with impure fish and thatthere is no question regarding the oilin it and no question about it beingcooked by goyim. There is alsopowdered egg and we don’t knowwhether it might be from forbiddenbirds, etc.

So too the cheese, whether it ischeese of goyim which Chazalforbade in all circumstances even ifcured in a vegetarian manner… Andalso the powdered milk, whether it isgentile milk that a Jew did not seebeing milked.

Since our souls are parched andit is necessary for us to be able tobenefit from these foods and thereare old people and children, pleasefind out together with others of ourbrethren, the rabbanim andT’mimim, and write a detailed letterabout the hashgacha and reasons forruling it as kosher. It is a matterworthy of expending effort, whetherphysically, because many are weakand need it, or spiritually becausethere are some who are not able tocontain themselves and are beinglenient with reasons that have nobasis.

As well as the powders withwhich they cook soup or kasha.

Please take care of this with therabbanim as soon as possible andsend the response to one of the

Suddenly ana r i s t o c r a t i cwoman entered theroom. Therabbanim stood upfor her and cleareda place for her andlooked at her withrespect. Shepolitely said shewanted to say afew words and sheasked the rabbis’pardon and forpermission. Therewas utter silencein the room… Iwas told it wasRebbetzin ChanaSchneerson.”



camps you know as a residence ofAnash and T’mimim, and write tothem to forward the answer to us.

We await your response, yourfriends,

Shneur Zalman Harelik knownas Shneur Berezner

Nachum Shmaryahu benAvrohom Z”l Sossonkin

CANS RECYCLEDAS POTS

My father bought plates andcutlery to my mother’s satisfaction.On another occasion my motherrelated:

“At first, we recycled the largecans of preserves and turned theminto pots. We put these ‘pots’ ontwo bricks that we placed outside onthe ground with a space betweenthem and underneath we made a fireout of twigs. At a later point yourfather constructed a Russian stovethat heated the room and was alsoused for cooking and baking. Iwasn’t the only balabusta who madeuse of this luxury. I was happy toshare it with neighbors who wereeager to come cook in our kitchen.That is how our small ‘palace’became the most popular room inthe blocks.

“After a few weeks, Jewish Polishwomen discovered the remains of aplane not far from the camp. Theysuggested that we go there, as theyhad done, to take pieces ofaluminum and make pots out ofthem. I purchased pots like thesefrom one of the women who madethem herself and they served usthroughout the months that we werein Poking.

“Outhouses were in the yard andthere were no showers or places tobathe at all. There was no soap. Wewashed in barrels that we filled withwater and we washed our headswith rainwater. We collectedrainwater in containers and foundthat rainwater left our hair soft, easyto comb, and shiny and was an

excellent substitute for shampoo andconditioner.”

THE “EDUCATIONMINISTER” AND THE

“TREASURER”ANNOUNCE THE

OPENING OF A YESHIVAThe camp in Poking grew to the

size of a city. Most people were notreligious and the Zionist parties setthe tone and were the dominant

force in the lives of the DP’s. Thecamp was run by a committee thatwas organized by the refugees.Schools, yeshivos, Talmudei Torah,and youth movements werefounded, as well as shuls and amikva.

The Joint and ORT ranvocational training programs to helppeople qualify for work. Thesupplies department administeredthe food supplies and itsdistribution. A civilian police force

THE REBBE RAYATZ’S CONCERNFOR THE REFUGEES

The Rebbe Rayatz already concerned himself with kosher food forwar survivors many months before the escape from Soviet Russia. Heled a great campaign so that the Joint and UNRRA would supplykosher food to the refugees in Europe. This is what he wrote on 6Nissan, 1946:

I received a telegram from Rome in the name of 7000 Jews in campsand another 5000 Jews scattered throughout Italy who plead for kosherfood for Pesach and kosher soup kitchens after Pesach. As of now, only afew of them receive these basic requirements. Representatives in thecamps said there is a danger of a hunger strike because no kosher foodfor religious Jews is like no food at all …

As mentioned, the urgent request in the telegram made by ourbrethren scattered in Italy, especially those still in camps, is not onlyabout Pesach, but also the kashrus situation in general. It is a holyobligation for the Joint to extend aid to our needy brethren, to properlypay attention to the religious sensibilities of our rescued brethren. Kosherfood can satisfy the hunger of all hungry people while non-kosher foodhelps only irreligious Jews but for religious Jews is no food at all. Weneed to remember that most of our rescued brethren are undoubtedlyreligious at heart.

I think it is unnecessary to go on at length about the importance ofthis matter. I hope with all my heart that the Joint will take thenecessary measures to fix the situation in Italy. I would appreciate it ifyou let me know what is happening …”

Then, on 5 Iyar, 1946, the Rebbe wrote again:… Thank G-d, our efforts with the Joint, the State Department,

UNRRA, the Agriculture Department in Washington, etc. bore fruit andnearly all of our brethren in Italy received kosher provisions for Pesach. Ithank my friend for his joining me in this.

Washington’s attitude in general, according to their official response,was encouraging because they all expressed their interest in the fate ofthe Jewish refugees and promised to help to the best of their ability.”

Apparently, the Rebbe’s efforts bore fruit, for when Anash arrived atthe camp in Poking many of the products they received from the Jointwere already kosher.



was established among the Jewishpopulace in the camp which servedin most matters instead of theestablishment American militarypolice. There was also a medicalclinic and a Jewish newspaper.

As for the Chabad Chassidim,they had barely gotten a roof overtheir heads and they had alreadystarted learning and teachingChassidus. Even before arriving inPoking, R’ Nissan Nemenov wastold by the Rebbe Rayatz that assoon as he arrived in the Americanzone he should found a yeshiva.This is what R’ Jacobson wrote tothe Rebbe on 27 Tamuz, 1946:

I went to meet with R’ NissanNemenov’s group on the border [inCzechoslovakia] and to arrange theirtrip to the American zone … I spokewith R’ Nissan about starting ayeshiva as soon as he arrived inMunich, and to try to attract manytalmidim.”

On 15 Elul, 1946, as soon asthey arrived in Poking, R’ Nissan,the “Education Minister” as theNKVD called him, held a meeting ofAnash and announced the foundingof Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimimwithin the Poking DP camp. Acommittee was chosen to run theyeshiva. R’ Nissan appointed a rosh

yeshiva, teachers and mashpiim, andgave each of them a job and the ageof the talmidim he would teach.

As for my father, whom theNKVD called the “Treasurer,” evenbefore becoming familiar with theconditions of the camp or knowinghow he would provide for himself,that very night he announced that hewould continue supporting theyeshiva.

A month and a half later, at thebeginning of Cheshvan, 5717, R’Avrohom Elya Plotkin, a member ofthe hanhala of Yeshivas TomcheiT’mimim, wrote to the RebbeRayatz:

“I would like to give anotherreport and accounting of thesituation here. Thank G-d our holyyeshiva is set up here in all itsdivisions. The number of all thetalmidim is about 120, may theyincrease, and over them are teachersand supervisors. To the joy of us allthey are learning with great diligenceand within a short time they havegrown …

“Another new thing was foundedhere, a beis midrash for rabbanimand shochtim. It’s a new mosad thatwas created between the walls …here on the road, betweenconstrictions and boundaries, at a

time when there is no grasp and nocontact with the world of reality andthe present for they have no shareand lot etc. and they remainsuspended between heaven andearth. They all gathered together andcame to the same conclusion, toreview their learning and rememberthat which was forgotten, preparingthemselves in the corridor andlearning Nigleh as well as Chassidusall day, with an order and withsupervision, until late at night. Manyof them are learning the crafts ofsh’chita and b’dika and a few arestudying for smicha.

That is the spiritual picture. Inshort a beautiful picture thatgladdens the heart.

The material situation is not oneto complain about because relativelyspeaking, our conditions haveimproved over what they were.Though there are still deficiencies, ingeneral the positive outweighs thenegative.

At the same time, R’ Nissan alsowrote a report from the yeshiva tothe Rebbe Rayatz:

“A picture of the TomcheiT’mimim here, at least from abottom-up perspective: there are 48talmidim, out of whom 20 learnGemara, Rashi, Tosafos andcommentaries with good and deepunderstanding. Even in earlier timesthis class would be considered one ofthe greater classes and they arelearning well. They are young andboruch Hashem they have a goodunderstanding in their learning.There are twenty younger than them,one class learns Gemara with someTosafos and one class learns Gemarawithout Tosafos, and eight arebeginning to learn Gemara. They arealso boruch Hashem good boys andthey learn very well, and they allbehave well, daven in a specialminyan with supervision and thelike. In all details, they comportthemselves in a manner befitting

The barracks in Poking



talmidim of Tomchei T’mimim.“Another twelve little ones learn

with the proper preparation to alsoeventually enter the four cubits ofTomchei T’mimim and surely theRebbe will have much nachas andpleasure from them, may Hashemhelp and we see this soon. For evenin the glory days this would beconsidered a good picture, boruchHashem, especially according to oursituation in the past, and this is trulya wonder from G-d.

“The older talmidim numberclose to 50 and most of them learnaccording to the schedule of the bigZal (i.e. in Lubavitch) four hours ofChassidus. The study of Chassidus isTanya and the maamarim of theRebbe that we have here, for wesorely lack any writings. They learnthose individual maamarim that wehave copies of here, and in one classI teach the maamer Reb Berechyafrom 5643.

“But some of the older ones arein such a state that they learn onlytwo hours of Chassidus a day like theschedule in Shtzedrin, and they learnNigleh the rest of the time, foralthough they are older, because ofthe situation in our previous countrythey were distant from learning for along time. Some of them are actualbaalei t’shuva and one can hope thatin them will be fulfilled the verseabout extracting the precious fromthe profane, etc. Therefore, due totheir standing in learning Nigleh theyneed someone to learn with them sofor now, they can only learn twohours of Chassidus a day, whichconsists of Tanya inside andreviewing by heart.

“Of the older ones there are thosewho are capable of a goodknowledge of Nigleh andunderstanding of Chassidus and whoalso think in Chassidus beforedavening and spend some time ont’filla. They are generally suitablereceptacles to receive the light which

is good and from day to day thenecessity of seeing the Rebbebecomes felt even more, mayHashem help us in this soon.”

SPECIAL LEARNINGPROGRAM

The ones who fell between thecracks were the boys who werenineteen – twenty who had spent thedifficult years in Russia withoutbeing able to learn. Some of themhad a scanty knowledge of limudeikodesh while others barelyrecognized a Jewish letter. As far astheir age they belonged in yeshiva,but in their knowledge they were noteven equal to little schoolboys.

R’ Shneur Zalman Teibel sawwhat could happen if these boyswere permitted to wander aroundwithout a suitable framework. Withthe sensitivity he excelled in, he wasable to gather them one by one andhe learned with each one himself,one-on-one or in small groups, atfirst reading and writing and thenChumash and Rashi. When theywere capable, he went on toMishnayos and Gemara until mostof them turned out to be talmideichachamim.

In general, having what to do

and parnasa were big problems forthe refugees. The parnasa problem?Nu, the Lubavitchers had thatproblem too (and how!) but beingoccupied? How could beingoccupied be a problem forChassidim? Those who “worked” inthe yeshiva were busy over theirheads. Those who were not involvedin teaching were occupied with theavoda of t’filla and the avoda ofmiddos. For them, their stay in thecamp was a wonderful time in whichthey toiled in Torah and avoda likethe good old days in Lubavitch.

The menahel, R’ Nissan,instituted that all the men, like thetalmidim in yeshiva, have aschedule. They began early in themorning, when they said the dailyT’hillim as it is divided over a week,then davening, and then learningNigleh and Chassidus, with breaks,until Maariv. Some men studied thelaws of sh’chita and how to sharpenthe knives.

As for the girls’ school and moreon life in Poking, that will bediscussed in the next installment, G-d willing.

In memory of my mother, Leah bas R’Shmuel. Her yahrtzait is 27 Sivan 5757.

Refugee children learning in Poking



With great pride, Rabbi and Mrs.Hillel Rinus are counted among theprimary founders of Yitzhar, anidealistic settlement located in theJudean Mountains. They arrivedthere shortly after their wedding, alittle more than twenty-five yearsago. Instilled with the ideology oflove for the Land and the Torah ofIsrael, they came with the goal ofmaking the area blossom andparticipate in the settlement of thePromised Land. “I am happy toreport that our settlement today isfilled to capacity. The demand hereis great, and we are fighting thegovernment to allow us to continuebuilding.”

Anyone familiar with Rabbi Rinusknows that he is the image of alearned Torah scholar, pleasant andhospitable. While our conversationnaturally turned to the situation inEretz Yisroel today, the subject thatactually brought us together for aninterview was an amazing “miracle”that he had experienced with one ofhis children, due to a bracha fromthe Rebbe exactly nineteen yearsago.

***

“Nineteen years ago, we wereblessed with another son. We weresimply overjoyed and very excited. Anew child had come into the world,a new soul with new talents. At hisbris, all of the families that foundedthis young and vibrant yishuv tookpart. The joy that filled our heartsknew no bounds.

“The baby left the hospitalcompletely healthy in body andspirit, and as any good set ofparents, we started putting togethera plan for our child’s future. Yet, toour great pain and sorrow, thismarvelous feeling had been replacedwithin a few months by one of deepsadness.

“One bright afternoon, literally asif out of a storybook, an Israel AirForce Phantom jet flew low over thehomes on the yishuv at an unusuallyhigh rate of speed, shaking theirfoundations and even shatteringmany windows. Once in a while, airforce pilots would engage in trainingas part of photographic exercises inthe mountain ranges. We wouldwatch them on maneuvers duringtheir military operations, but theyhad never made a fly-by at such alow altitude before. The effect of the

aircraft’s movements created a sonicboom powerful enough to make aperson’s heart stop. There wasn’t aperson on the yishuv who didn’tjump at the sound.

“Everyone was very startled, withone notable exception: The baby layin his crib, calm and tranquil, as ifnothing had happened. He seemedso still and unresponsive that it setoff a warning light in our minds. Wewere gripped by fear – not becauseof the jet plane, but due to thebaby’s reaction or the lack thereof.At first, we tried to convinceourselves that this was just atemporary condition – after all, he’sstill just an infant and his hearingsimply hasn’t been properlydeveloped. Yet, when we wouldperiodically try to make some noisearound him, he didn’t even noticeus. We tried to draw his attention tobells ringing and other sounds, butthere was no response.

“A few days later, we got on abus and traveled to Tel Aviv. In thosedays, transportation conditions werenot as they are today. Not everyfamily had a car, and the journeywas most circuitous. After gettingproper direction from more regular

story

BREAKINGTHE SOUNDBARRIERBy Nosson AvrohomTranslated by Michoel Leib Dobry


travelers, we found our way to‘Machon Micha’, an Israeli institutethat diagnoses and treats the deafand mute population. The center islocated in the northern Tel Avivneighborhood of Ramat Aviv. Wearrived there extremely worried,offering silent prayers in our heartsthat our fears would turn out to bebaseless.

“We anxiously waited andworried. Would we hear the worst?How difficult would it be for us asparents to deal with this situation?Realizing we must thank Hashemfor whatever life brings, our mouthsnonetheless did not relent fromsaying T’hillim.

“The dreaded moment arrived.After a lengthy and comprehensiveseries of tests and probes, thespecialist called us in to give us hisdiagnosis.

“He was brief and to the point,without trying to hide or smoothanything over. Clearly and simply,he explained to us that our belovedson was diagnosed as severelyhearing impaired. In dry medicalterms, he was ‘deaf’. He added thatthere was a slight chance that withthe help of recently developed

hearing devices, he might be able tohave a modicum of hearing restored.I exchanged looks with the doctorand with my wife, and the overall

feeling was that our world had beendestroyed. It is impossible todescribe the feeling of utterhopelessness that engulfed us.

“The doctor made anappointment for us, when we wouldbegin to deal with this situation andlearn together about the world of thedeaf and hearing impaired, includingthe use of sign language.

“It took us a while to recoverfrom the shock of this medicaldiagnosis. We returned home brokenand confused, but we quickly pulledourselves together and decided thatwe would not allow such feelings ofdespair to control our lives.Although we started going to‘Machon Micha’ regularly to learnsign language and for more testingby the experts, we were alsodetermined not to accept the finalityof this situation, as gloomy as itappeared. The Lubavitcher Rebbe’sreputation as a miracle worker hadmade waves throughout EretzYisroel, and we had heard stories ofwondrous personal salvations thathad come as a result of the Rebbe’sbracha. We decided that the timehad come to write to the Rebbe andask for his blessing.


In dry medicalterms, he was‘deaf’... Iexchanged lookswith the doctorand with my wife,and the overallfeeling was thatour world hadbeen destroyed. Itis impossible todescribe thefeeling of utterhopelessness thatengulfed us.



“I turned to the first Chabadchassid that I met and asked him ifhe could give me the fax number forthe Rebbe’s office in Brooklyn.Along with the tremendous effortswe were investing for our son’swelfare, we also decided to write tothe Rebbe and ask for his bracha.We intensified our prayers and madegood resolutions in Torah andmitzvah observance. That night, wecomposed a lengthy correspondenceon our son’s condition, and askedthe Rebbe to nullify this decree – noless.

“I remember all this as if ithappened only yesterday. We didn’task for an improvement or for waysto deal the situation moresuccessfully – we asked that our sonbegin hearing.

“What happened just a few dayslater can only be described as amiracle. A few months after thiswhole story began, at around thesame time of day and under theexact same circumstances, anotherlow-flying Phantom jet swoopeddown over the yishuv, making anear-shattering noise that shook allthe windows.

“The baby again lay in his crib inthe living room, but this time hisreaction was totally different. Hisentire body shook from the frightfulnoise, and he looked quite startled.He began to cry, and had difficultycalming down. I looked at him forseveral minutes, incredulous and

bewildered. I even pinched myself tobe certain that I wasn’t dreaming orimagining things. Never in my lifewas I so overjoyed to hear a babycry… This was a child who had justbeen diagnosed as functionally deafby the biggest medical professionalsaround. How did this happen?

“The very next day we made ourway to ‘Machon Micha,’understandably full of excitement.

“After a most thorough andnerve-wracking examination, theexamining physicians conceded thatthey were completely taken aback bythis sudden apparent recovery. Still,they remained skeptical, and theyasked us to come next week foranother examination, when theywould make comparisons.

“We went back home with thechild, and in the meantime, we didour own tests to determine whetherhis hearing had actually returned.He began to react to noises andstimulations around him. We foundit hard to believe that this was reallyhappening. It was a hard to erase inone moment, the misery ofyesterday’s reality.

“A week later, we came to thecenter again, and the testscontinued.

“At the fourth meeting, anunbelievable thing happened. Assoon as we passed through the gate,one of the center’s directors invitedus into her office for a privatemeeting. I remember her words well:

‘My dear Rabbi and Mrs. Rinus, wehave no scientific explanation for thechange that took place in yourchild’s hearing condition! This is amedical miracle of the highest order– one that we have neverencountered before. The reality ofthe situation is clear: The first timeyou came here, your child was deaf,and now his hearing is perfectlynormal! You have nothing to do here– Be well and we hope to never seeyou again under suchcircumstances…”

***It’s quite apparent that despite

the many years that have passedsince then, Rabbi Hillel Rinus hasdifficulty hiding his emotions, whichbecame more and more visible as hereached the end of his story:

“The very same low-flyingPhantom jet that revealed theproblem was the one that showed usthat the problem was solved. I havenot the slightest doubt that theRebbe read our letter, saw ourmisery, and removed the Heavenlydecree in the same way it had comeforth. Everyone had predicted thatour son would have no end oftrouble in school at every level. Theyexpected serious learning disabilities,and even claimed that he would beunable to function as a normal child.However, all this proved false. Hehas grown up to be a gifted youthwith a sharp mind and a talent foreducation. Thanks to the Rebbe.”

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I WAS THEREI remember that sicha of

Thursday, Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Istood there facing the Rebbe. Myson Sholom Ber, who was four yearsold at the time, was with me. I heldon to him as he stood on the tableopposite the Rebbe. I wanted him tohear the Rebbe. Every so often Iglanced at him to see whether hewas listening and understanding.The Rebbe quoted the Mishna inBrachos, “all the days of your life –to bring to Yemos HaMoshiach.”The Rebbe gave an explanation (inaddition to the simple meaning) thatall our actions and involvementsduring the days of our lives need tobe permeated by one goal, to bringand hasten the Yemos HaMoshiach.

The Kinus began on Shabbos

Mevarchim Kislev, Parshas ChayeiSarah, 5752. According to theschedule, the Kinus officially beganat 1:30 with the Rebbe’s farbrengen.We shluchim were focused on thissicha when the Rebbe would tell usthe updated horaos for the comingyear.

I had one little problem. Whatwas I supposed to do with my sonduring the farbrengen? I had a spotto stand in but you couldn’t get evena pin in there and surely not a littleboy who might suddenly talk or cry.

I didn’t have many options. Ibrought him to 770 and put himdown on a bench, where he fellasleep. I miraculously reached myusual spot and heard the first sichaof the farbrengen, but immediatelyafterwards I was told that my son

had woken up and I had to go out tohim. Those were the last sichos thatI heard from the Rebbe, ChayeiSarah and Toldos 5752 on thefollowing Shabbos.

MOSHIACH ONDIZENGOFF AND IN AMONASTERY IN INDIARabbi Chaim Nevo, who operates

a Chabad tank, maintains that thetopic of Moshiach has alreadytrickled down to all segments of thepopulation. Not long ago he visitedDizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, one ofthe longest and busiest Tel Avivstreets, and one of its main cultural,entertainment and shopping centers.It’s not what you would call aChassidishe place.

R’ Nevo noticed a young manrunning towards the tank. With allhis earrings and odd get-up it washard to tell whether it was a man orwoman. He shouted something butit was only as he got closer to thetank that R’ Nevo could make outwhat he was saying: “Rak Moshiach,I am just waiting for Moshiach.”They got into a conversation and R’Nevo explained how to prepare forMoshiach’s coming.

The tank is decorated withpictures of the Rebbe, Moshiachflags, and Yechi signs. Whoeverenters the tank or even passes near itimmediately sees that it’s advertisingMoshiach. One of the shluchim oncejokingly said to R’ Nevo, “You don’thave to travel to the Rebbe – you’rewith the Rebbe all day in your tank.”

R’ Nevo has his routes. EverySunday is devoted to soldiers. Theroute includes Afula, the Golanijunction (where today there is aChabad house run by R’ ShmuelRosenberg), Chatzor, Machanayim,and Kiryat Shmoneh. Thousands ofsoldiers convene in all these placesas they make their way to their basesin the north. R’ Nevo puts on t’fillinwith them and gives out material,

sh l i chus

I’ll never forget the excitement whenthe Rebbe announced, “The avoda ofshlichus is over… the only remainingavoda is to be actually ready to welcomeMoshiach” * Now, 17 years later, it’sthe Jews on the street who are excited.

THEY AREREADY, THAT�SFOR SUREBy Rabbi Yaakov ShmuelevitzShliach, Beit Shaan



hastening the Geula.“One day,” said R’ Nevo, “I went

over to a group of soldiers andsuggested that they put on t’fillin.Some of them said ‘Go over to thatYemenite guy. He is the son of a ravand he’ll put on t’fillin.’ Indeed, thatrefined looking young man wholooked like a tzaddik (except withouta yarmulke) put on t’fillin and hiscolleagues all followed suit.

“I met him again the followingweek, and later on too. He wasslowly making his way up in theranks and each time I met him hewas somewhere else. He was anofficer, he fought in Gaza andGenin, he lost some of his goodfriends, but he was always happy tomeet me. He rolled up his sleeve,put on t’fillin, and the others wereinspired to do likewise.

“One day, he told me that wewouldn’t be meeting again since hewas finished with the army andwould be traveling. A few monthslater, I received warm regards fromhim from the ends of the world … Imet one of the shluchim in Indiawho told me that in a monastery inIndia, he had met five Israelis, none

of whom were willing to put ont’fillin, but then a young, dignified-looking Yemenite came over andhappily put on the t’fillin. He toldthe shliach that he was willing to doso only thanks to R’ Chaim from thetank.

“I hope that by now he has leftthe monastery, puts t’fillin onhimself and his friends, and readsBeis Moshiach …”

MOSHIACH’S SUKKA“Last Sukkos,” continued R’

Nevo, “I had a sukka on wheels andwhenever I showed up at an armycamp I played “Moshiach,Moshiach, Moshiach” on theloudspeaker. The soldiers came intothe sukka, said l’chaim, sang, andprepared for the Geula.

“One day of Sukkos I went to abig camp in the Golan Heights. Assoon as the soldiers heard the music,they came en masse to the sukkaand began dancing. I had to calmthem down so the sukka wouldn’tcollapse.

“After the dancing they sat downin the sukka and we began to talk. I

explained to them that sitting in asukka strengthens our anticipationfor the future sukka, the sukka madeout of the skin of the Leviasan whichwe will sit in, near the BeisHaMikdash.

“The soldiers expressed their joyby composing a song in my honor, amilitary song. They got up and sang:Chaimtche, Chaimtche, tche, tche.

“If you’ve been in the army, youknow this expressed greatadmiration.”

MOSHIACH INTHE COURT

R’ Yaakov Reinetz, veteranChassid in Lud, relates:

“Every Shabbos a certainindividual comes to our shul from adistant neighborhood. He walks forover an hour in order to daven in aChabad shul. He is a lawyer andworks as a public defender in thecourt system. He told me aninteresting story.

“At the court there was acompetency hearing for a man whochased after someone with a knife.He was accused of attempted



murder. In the testimony thatappeared in the prosecution file itsaid that during the chase hescreamed, ‘I am G-d, I amMoshiach!’

“The judge said the man shouldbe hospitalized in a closedpsychiatric ward since it is theLubavitcher Rebbe who is actuallyMoshiach.

“The lawyer emphasized that itwasn’t the fact that the manproclaimed he was G-d thatmotivated the judge to hospitalizehim. It was his claim of beingMoshiach which made no sense tohim.”

ALL BECAUSE OF A SIGNThe mashpia R’ Zalman Notik of

Yerushalayim relates:“I gave a shiur in a neighborhood

of Yerushalayim. I debated whetherto speak about Moshiach directly orin general terms. I decided to firstspeak in general about the Rebbeand Chassidus and only at the endto speak about Moshiach. When Ibegan talking about Moshiach Iheard a sigh of relief from one of thepeople. ‘Finally, I was waiting forthat the entire shiur.’”

R’ Notik uses every opportunityto publicize the Besuras Ha’Geulaand he has many stories to tell:

“Years ago, we hung up a sign onthe house that said, ‘Hichonu L’ViasHaMoshiach‘ (get ready for thecoming of Moshiach). One day, ayoung woman knocked at our doorand asked whether we were the ones

who hung up the Moshiach sign.She said, ‘Every time I pass the sign,it gives me a good feeling.’ We wrotedown her address and kept it, just incase we would need it.

“Two years later, it was a Hakhelyear (5755) and we called her. Wehad her entire family around thetable and we made a “Hakhel.” Weexplained that in a year of Hakhelthere is a mitzva to gather and speakwords of Torah and yiras Shamayim.

“The continuation of the story isthat one of the sons registered for aChabad elementary school and fromthere he went to Chabad yeshivos,where he is still learning.

“All because of a sign.”

STARTING THE WEEKWITH MOSHIACH

One of the Chassidim inYerushalayim has an unofficialcustom in his home that when theymake Havdala and the father says,“Hinei,” everybody choruses, “HineiMoshiach Ba,” three times and onlythen does he go on to reciteHavdala,.

One time they had a guest, amekureves, and she heard how theydid Havdala. She liked it and whenshe eventually got married to herhusband, who was a Lubavitcher butnot enthused about inyaneiMoshiach, she let him know that shewanted to continue this “HineiMoshiach ba” in Havdala. He agreedand that is how they say Havdala tillthis day.

At the court therewas a competencyhearing for a manwho chased aftersomeone with aknife. He wasaccused ofattempted murder.In the testimonythat appeared inthe prosecution fileit said that duringthe chase hescreamed, “I am G-d, I am Moshiach!”The judge said theman should behospitalized in aclosed psychiatricward since it is theLubavitcher Rebbewho is actuallyMoshiach.

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Shluchim gathered on Friday,Dalet Tammuz, in YeshivaChovavei Torah in CrownHeights, Brooklyn to discussstrategies for Shluchim to conveythe Rebbe’s message of ShleimusHaAretz to their communities.

The timing of the meetingcapitalized on the Torah context,as the previous week’s parsha wasShlach, the story of the spies, andthe following Shabbos was theparsha of Korach.

Shlach discusses how the Jewswere not willing to settle the landof Israel. Rather, they wished tocontinue living in the Midbar withthe clouds of glory surroundingthem and the Mann falling fromheaven every day. But they were

missing the point. Their purposewas specifically to go into EretzYisroel and get involved withpractical mitzvos, a divine serviceof much greater value to theCreator than a spiritual life in thedesert.

Korach’s problem was simplywith Moshe Rabbeinu, acceptingthe authority of Toras Moshewithout question.

These same two issues plagueour people today and are at theheart of the woeful situation inIsrael: The secular state of Israelhas given up on our divinemandate to settle the land andconsequently millions of Israel’sJews are in danger for their lives.Secondly, there is a serious

vacuum in leadership andwhatever there is, is not alignedwith Moshe Rabbeinu or “his G-d”! The situation is absolutelyunsustainable.

This landmark conference,hosted by “Crown HeightsWomen for Shleimus HaAretz”,“The Crown Heights Committeefor Shleimus HaAretz” and the“Shleimus HaAretz Talk Show”was the brainchild of Mrs. TamarAdelstein and Raanan Isseroff.Shluchim met to suggest ideas ofhow each shliach can startadvertising the Rebbe’s messageof Eretz Yisroel Shleima.

First to speak was RabbiYehoshua Hecht – President ofthe Rabbinical Council ofConnecticut and Director ofChabad of Norwalk. Rabbi Hechtspoke of the problems inherentwith Israel’s continuing to pursuethe Oslo Peace plan and thecurrent land giveaway agreementbeing proposed by PMNetanyahu’s government. Mr.Netanyahu recently agreed inprinciple with President Obama togive away the West Bank area andmost of Jerusalem.

Rabbi Hecht described howtragic, foolish and suicidal it is topromote such an evil plan callingfor the forced evacuation of some480,000 people, most of whomstand to lose their jobs as well astheir homes.

Rabbi Hecht discussed theproblem of the American Jewishcommunity’s indifference towardsEretz Yisroel and the need forShluchim to approach this headon by having their congregationsbegin lobbying to educate theAmerican public to influenceIsrael to cancel this terrible plan.Each Shliach has local federationsand Rabbanim who can beapproached and taught about theLubavitcher Rebbe’s perspectiveon stopping Israel’s continued

A Report on the Shleimus HaAretzConference for Shluchim in CrownHeights held Dalet Tammuz, June 26,2009

THE WHOLELAND: WHATSHLUCHIMCAN DOBy Raanan S. Isseroff



insistence on talks for the creationof a terrorist state in the name of“peace”.

Next to speak was RabbiSholom Ber Wolpo. Rav Wolpo, aveteran activist for many yearswho has received many brachosfrom the Lubavitcher Rebbe forhis work on Shleimus HaAretz, isa great-grandson of RebbetzinMenucha Rochel Slonim, thedaughter of the 2nd Rebbe ofChabad, the Mitteler Rebbe.

Rav Wolpo discussed how thepolice have opened three criminalfiles on him for his patrioticefforts to advertise the plight ofthe Jews of Eretz Yisroel who arebeing victimized by a governmentgone mad. While discussing thethree “tikim” (criminal files) RavWolpo received a standingovation. After all, not everyonecan boast of such mesiras nefeshfrom the constant harassment ofpolice and civil authorities whoare unhappy with Rav Wolpo’sselfless work to stop them fromsuicide!

Wasn’t it only a short time agothat Israel advertised its ambitiousplans to develop the outlyingareas? Weren’t the chalutznikimlauded as “heroes” and “heroicsettlers of the land?” Wasn’t“Chalutz!” the battle cry of thegeneration after the Holocaust?Over 75% of Olim who end upstaying are religious. As such, theAliya office recruits heavily fromthe religious community.

Today, “Chalutz”, “Settler”and “Mitnachalim” are dirtywords. The once lauded “Settler”is derided in the Israeli media andworse, he is called a “criminal”,“thief” and worse by agovernment intent on running theJews off the land of the Bible, theland of Avraham, Yitzchok andYaakov. A government claiming tobe for the Jewish citizens of Israelwhile working to accomplish the

goals of the Arab enemy. As thesaying goes about ShaulHaMelech, who attempted to bekind to the king of the Amalekim:“Those who are kind to the cruel,end up being cruel to the kind”.

The Israeli government has spentyears bending over backward tobe kind to Arab terrorists so thattoday, it ends up being cruel tothe Jews of Israel who aresuffering mercilessly from thekindness of Israel’s government.

For advertising this alreadyvery public fact, Rabbi Wolpo hasbeen the victim of countless policeinvestigations.

Rav Wolpo called on Shluchimto establish an American office forShleimus HaAretz. Rav Wolpobrought his new color Englishlanguage magazine “IsraelShelanu” to show off to theShluchim. This is the Englishversion of the already popularHebrew: “Yisroel Shelanu” thatRav Wolpo’s organization: “VaadLeHatzalat HaAm V’HaAretz”puts out on a weekly basis at nocharge. To order, email RavWolpo at [email protected].

The next speaker, RabbiKalmanson, discussed thenecessity for shluchim to getinvolved and not to minimize anddismiss what is going on in EretzYisroel as “politics”.

Rabbi Zalman Liberow ofChabad of Flatbush lauded thebeauty and timing of RabbiWolpo’s “Israel Shelanu”magazine. It is the only Englishweekly magazine on the subjectthat Chabad offers for outreach.Rabbi Liberow suggested that anemail version be mailed to theShluchim. This would providevaluable information on thesituation in Eretz Yisroel that ashliach could pass on to hismekuravim. (It was latersuggested to mail a paper versionto the Shluchim as well).

Rabbi Yehuda Friedman,Director of Chabad House ofMill-Basin and Chabad House ofGeorgetown (Brooklyn), spokenext at length about the necessityof simply getting the Rebbe’s

The Rebbe said,“We must utilizethe special brachaof Eretz Yisroel bymaking it ourbusiness to beTznius… Thereshould not be seenin the Jewishpeople any “ervasdavar” – immodestdress or behavior.By doing this, wecause the divinepresence toautomatically joinwith us to effectthe second part ofthe pasuk:“l’hatzilcha l’latetoyvecha lifanecha”– to save us andcause our enemies’downfall - SeiferHaSichos 1970,vol.2, pp.195-196.



words “without p’shetlach” out tothe public. This itself wouldimpress people.

Rabbi Shmuel Grumach,director of Chabad of Beit Daganin Eretz Yisroel, told of the trialsand tribulations that an Israelishliach is faced with in the normalcourse of his work in relation toShleimus HaAretz. He describedhis visit to the town of Sa-Nurbefore it was destroyed and givenaway to the Arabs.

The residents there made ademonstration to protest theunfair treatment they were gettingfrom the Israeli government,which had enticed most of theresidents as new Olim to settle thehinterlands of Israel. Theresidents of Sa-Nur invested theirdollars into making the desertbloom at the behest of Israel’sgovernment, which sent shluchimto America, Britain, South Africa,France and other countries to lureJews into making “Aliya”. Littledid the Olim know the sinisterplans the government had in storefor them and their possessions.

If they had, they most probablynever would have come.

Sa-Nur’s beleaguered residentsare forgotten by the rest of Israeland abandoned by its owngovernment, essentially thrown tothe wolves by the media by beingcharacterized as “parasites” andworse. The residents have nowdecided that even at this latestage, a protest demonstration isin order.

Rabbi Grumach and his family,who participated in thedemonstration, never dreamedthey would be victimized by suchunrestrained violence as thesoldiers used against them. Theyeven beat his wife and assaultedhis daughter.

What was pointed out at theconference is the mediawhitewash that Mr. Netanyahu’s

plan is getting. Instead ofrevealing the outlandish fact thatmost of Jerusalem is slated to begiven away, the media onlyreports that it is the West Bankthat is going.

The reality is that around480,000 Jews live in the areasslated to be given away, the largemajority of them religious. Thequestion that came to everyone’smind was: Why isn’t thegovernment giving away RamatAviv or Haifa? Why is it that allthe places being given away arewhere religious Jews live?

Then Rabbi Yekutiel Rapp,Mashpia in 770, spoke words ofencouragement and thanks for theShluchim who attended. Rabbi

Rapp discussed the importance ofShluchim advertising the plight ofEretz Yisroel and the terrible fatethat awaits them if the Peace planis pushed through.

Rabbi Rapp reminded thecrowd that in 1970 the Rebbebrought out “Mivtza Tznius” as adirect means of protecting Jews inEretz Yisroel: “Tznius for EretzHaKodesh”.

The Rebbe said, “We mustutilize the special bracha of EretzYisroel by making it our businessto be Tznius… There should notbe seen in the Jewish people any“ervas davar” – immodest dressor behavior. By doing this, wecause the divine presence toautomatically join with us toeffect the second part of thepasuk: “l’hatzilcha l’latet oyvechalifanecha” – to save us and causeour enemies’ downfall” - SeiferHaSichos 1970, vol.2, pp.195-196.

Rabbi Rapp pointed out thatthe situation with tznius canaffect the situation in EretzYisroel for the better.

A campaign should be startedby shluchim to improve theproblems with Tznius. The Rebbeis telling us that this can have adirect effect on the situation!

We had a surprise speaker:Israeli Journalist David Bedein,the Bureau Chief for the IsraelResource News Agency and thePresident for the Center For NearEast Policy Research (www.BehindTheNews.com) called inminutes before Shabbos fromEretz Yisroel to discuss with ushis suggestions. He advises us toflood the American congressionalcommittees that oversee USMiddle East Policy with hundredsof personally written letters, faxesand emails which protest the USmilitary’s training of Fatahterrorists and that decry theUnited States’ demands that

Flood the Americanc o n g r e s s i o n a lcommittees thatoversee US MiddleEast Policy withhundreds ofpersonally writtenletters, faxes andemails whichprotest the USmilitary’s trainingof Fatah terroristsand that decry theUnited States’demands thatIsrael stop buildingin Jerusalem, Judeaand Samaria.



Israel stop building in Jerusalem,Judea and Samaria. Thosecommittees are the Near EastSubcommittee and its parent, theUS Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee, chaired by SenatorRobert Casey and RepresentativeGary Ackerman, respectively.

The conclusion was that theIsraeli government needs to hearvoices of protest, both from Israeland from the US and abroad. Itwas pointed out that there is agreat confusion amongst Jewsover who is the responsible partyfor stopping the terriblecatastrophe of Oslo. Does onepetition the President of theUnited States to “lay off ofNetanyahu?” Does one reprimandthe government of Israel forputting its Jewish citizens indanger? Who do we put ourenergies into convincing to helpstop the destruction of Israel?

The Rebbe historically alwayspushed Israel’s government not togive in to the demands ofAmerica. We don’t find that theRebbe felt he must talk to theAmericans because they were theproblem!

In discussion with MK Katzavwhen he came to visit, the Rebbetold him to tell Shamir not to givein. Over and over again we findthat the Rebbe spoke with Israel’sdiplomats to encourage them tostand strong in the face ofobviously difficult Americandemands. It was only with CampDavid that we began to see the

truth in the Rebbe’s propheticvision. Right after Sinai was givenaway and “Peace” was made withEgypt, our now “peaceful”neighbor proceeded to move itsarmies and weaponry up toIsrael’s border. Obviously, theRebbe points out, they have a

different idea of what “peace”means than we do. After all, whatpeaceful brotherly nation needsits armies right on its neighborlypeaceful border…?

We too can learn from this.Today, the players have notchanged. They have simply gottendeeper into a quagmire that theRebbe tells us is not irreversible:All we need to do is stop all talksand take back all land. Thenterror will stop within 48 hours,because this is the true source ofthe terror. When Israel choosesto stop, so will the terror.

Israel’s government can at anytime cry: “Foul play!” All theagreements have been violatedand broken. Not one cease-firehas been kept. Terror continuesnon-stop. The world does notexpect - and in fact is shocked -that Israel keeps to any of theOslo accords. Why should it?Nobody in his or her right mindwould. Yet millions of shekelscontinue to flow from Israel tothe PA. Hundreds of convictedterrorist murderers are set free tomurder again. Who set themfree? Not the United States. NotPresident Obama.

It is a test from above. If, asthe Rebbe says, we are thegeneration of the Midbar, itmakes sense that our biggestmesiras nefesh is supposed to bespecifically for Eretz Yisroel. Wemust stand up for the land anddeclare: HaAretz Hi Tov M’od!

Today, the playershave not changed.They have simplygotten deeper intoa quagmire thatthe Rebbe tells usis not irreversible:All we need to do isstop all talks andtake back all land.Then terror willstop within 48hours, because thisis the true sourceof the terror. WhenIsrael chooses tostop, so will theterror.

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HE PREFERRED THE BEISMIDRASH TO HIS HOUSE

The Chassid, Rabbi ZalmanSkoblo was born on 3 Sivan5652/1892 to Rabbi Yitzchok andMrs. Gittel Leah Skoblo, adistinguished Lubavitcher family.

In his early childhood years heloved to sit and learn. He relatedthat as a child in the town ofHorodishatz he thought, “Shas is solarge and there is so much to learn.There is no time to spend at home!”

At a young age he sat in the beismidrash where he learned and alsoslept on one of the benches. Hissister would bring him food fromhome.

In 5663 (or 5664), when he wasonly eleven years old, he joined theTomchei T’mimim branch inHorodishatz. This yeshiva wasfounded in 5661 and existed until5671.

When he became bar mitzva, R’Zalman transferred to YeshivasTomchei T’mimim in Lubavitchitself. There, R’ Zalman became oneof the outstanding talmidim. RabbiYisroel Jacobson, who also learnedin Lubavitch, called him, “ha’tamimha’metzuyan” (the outstandingTamim).

At this time, R’ Zalman had longpeios which were his distinguishingfeature. That’s how his fellowT’mimim remembered him yearslater. He cut them only when he wasdrafted in the Russian army and hedid so for the purpose of saving hisbeard.

He later related that after he wasdrafted, the officers ordered that hetake off his beard, to which hecleverly told them, “They will saythat in the Russian army they behavelike the Germans.” The officersstopped bothering him.

In Tomchei T’mimim there was a“Kupas Bachurim,” which wasfounded at the initiative of the RebbeRayatz. From the memoirs of elderT’mimim it seems that the fund


chass id

REB ZALMANSKOBLOPrepared for publication by Menachem ben Eliezer



played an important role in theirlives. The goal of the fund was tohelp cover the living expenses of newapplicants. Until they were testedand accepted, the fund helped thosewho were without means. It alsohelped those talmidim who, forvarious reasons, could not eat in theyeshiva kitchen.

The fund was run by a gabbaiwho was picked from the bachurimand for a period of time, R’ Zalmanwas responsible for the fund. Thistestifies to his standing among thebachurim and the trust they had inhim.

One year, on Erev YomKippur, R’ Zalman visited theoffice of the Rebbe Rayatz, whowas the “acting dean” of theyeshiva, in order to make anaccounting of the money inthe fund. The Rebbe seemedwound up and very tenseand his face lookedterrifying. R’ Zalman daredto ask, “What happened thatyou are so tense and woundup?”

Instead of replying, theRebbe Rayatz opened adrawer in his desk. The drawerwas divided into compartmentsand in each compartment therewas money. “You see?” said theRebbe. “All this is tz’daka moneyand an accounting must be made.”

R’ Zalman related this incident toR’ Eliyahu Landau and concluded,“At that moment I realized that Icould not just relate to him in acollegial manner as I had donebefore. The Rayatz is completelydifferent … [i.e. in a differentleague].”

SHAME AND PRAISE ARE THE SAME TO YOU

While learning in yeshiva, theRebbe Rashab and Rebbe Rayatzbecame fond of him and he was oneof the mekuravim of “Beis HaRav”and one of those who merited a

personal relationship.R’ Zalman later related to his

grandson that when the RebbeRashab farbrenged or said amaamer, it was extremely crowded.It was very hard to squeeze in andfind a good spot where you couldhear the Rebbe, but I – said R’Zalman – was helped by my friend,R’ Shmuel Katzman (later hisbrother-in-law) who was very

strong. I would always go with himand thanks to him I would get closeto the Rebbe Rashab.

R’ Eliyahu Landau related, “AfterR’ Zalman moved to Eretz Yisroel,he would go every day to the zal ofyeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Lud,where he would learn and daven.One day, I asked him to farbrengwith us. It was at the start of theYemei Hagbala before Shavuos. Heagreed to farbreng. In general, he

did not speak much. A word fromhim was an entire sentence. It wasonly afterwards that he told me thathe agreed to farbreng because thatday (3 Sivan) was his birthday.

“He told us about his firstyechidus. He didn’t want to tell usabout the content of the yechidusbut we pressured him and herelented. He said it was acceptedpractice for Chassidim not to relatetheir yechidus but he told us onething, that when he was about toleave, the Rebbe taught him a lessonin avodas Hashem, ‘If you aredenigrated or praised, it should be

absolutely the same to you.’“R’ Zalman said this in

amazement about the Rebbe, toexplain his greatness. TheRebbe said this to a veryyoung bachur, a child really,and treated him with suchseriousness. He was amazedby the Rebbe and went on toextol this. Yet when I heardthis, I was more amazed byR’ Zalman, because theRebbe did not say this toeveryone!”

R’ Zalman related that hewas fourteen when he had

yechidus with the Rebbe Rashaband he said about himself that

after that yechidus, the issue ofcaring about what people had to sayabout him was gone - and it nevercame back!

R’ Landau added, “When I askedhim about a certain spiritual matterhe said to me in surprise, ‘After thefirst yechidus!?’ (Meaning- couldsuch a problem come up after thefirst yechidus?!) It wasn’t possible!”

MIRACLES AT THERUSSIAN DRAFT OFFICE

When it came time to be drafted,he was sent a draft notice. Thedanger in serving in the Russianarmy was obvious and R’ Zalmanwent to the Rebbe Rashab to ask forhis bracha to be exempt from army

R’ Zalman Skoblo in his youth



service. He snuck into the Rebbe’shome, knocked on the door, andentered the Rebbe’s room where theRebbe sat with an open Gemara.The Rebbe spoke to him at length.

R’ Zalman related that the Rebbementioned many statements ofChazal and cited the source with thepage number. Sometimes, withcertain quotes he told R’ Zalman tolook them up. When he quotedsomething in Tanya, he said, “It’s anexplicit Tanya.”

R’ Zalman did not say what tookplace at that encounter but before hewent to the draft office he went tothe Rebbe again for a bracha. TheRebbe did not bless him.

At that time, if you were calledbefore the draft board, you could goto any draft office you chose, evenone not in your place of residence.At the first interview you underwentmedical exams, registration, etc. Itseems the Rebbe sent him to a draftoffice in some city and that is wherehe went. A Chassid lived there whoknew an askan. The two of themmet with the askan who suggestedthat they pay a lot of money andbribe a woman who knew the doctorat the draft office who would ruleout R’ Zalman for the army.

The amount he asked for wasenormous. Having no choice, R’Zalman’s friends collected themoney and paid the askan in full.However, on the appointed day, R’Zalman realized that the askanhadn’t done anything and salvationwould not come about through him.

His beard had started to growand he looked healthy. When hewent to the draft office, he went forthe medical exams and the nurse inthe room said to the doctor, “Such anice looking boy – exempt him fromthe army.” And he was exempted.

To R’ Zalman it was clear that hisrelease had nothing to do with theefforts of that askan and he askedfor his money back. Those weredays of hunger and privation and the

large sum of money belonged to hisfriends and could be used topurchase food and basic necessities.

The askan refused to return themoney and R’ Zalman went to hishouse to discuss it with him. R’Zalman was a quiet person by natureand never got angry and raised hisvoice but here he felt that a terrible

injustice had been done. He knewthat the money the bachurim hadcollected to save him was urgentlyneeded by them. This caused him toraise his voice to that askan and heeven forcefully banged on the tableand the table broke. Seeing this, theaskan decided to refund the moneyand the money was returned to hisfriends.

HE CRIED FORTY YEARS LATER

R’ Zalman worked on publishingthe Rebbe Rashab’s maamarim,including the famous Hemshech5672. He was also the one incharge, in Lubavitch, of printing andgiving out these “k’savim.” In orderto enable him to do this job, theRebbe brought a mimeographmachine from abroad and R’ Zalmanarranged and directed all theprinting of the maamarim.

It once happened that apoliceman passed by and noticedthis work. Perhaps at that time youneeded a government permit to printthings and they didn’t have one. Thepoliceman began questioning himabout how he was allowed to printand R’ Zalman answered firmly thatthis was Torah that the Rebbe said tothe students of the yeshiva and they

When I told himthat the LikkuteiDibburim of theRebbe Rayatz hadbeen published andit said that ChaiElul is the birthdayof the Alter Rebbeand the Baal ShemTov, he wasovercome withemotion and hesaid, “We neverheard about this inLubavitch.”

“YOUR SON WILL RETURN”R’ Avrohom Skoblo, R’ Zalman’s son, related:When I came of draft age, my father told me to lift heavy things in

order to cause a hernia. I was not drafted but a short while later thewar broke out and everybody was drafted into that terrible war. Itlooked as though the Soviet Union would be defeated.

My father accompanied me to the train. We had to go fortykilometers and on the way he said to me: Tonight, my mother a”h cameto me in a dream and asked me what is happening in the world. I saidthat a world war had begun. She asked: What connection does it havewith you? I said: My son Avrohom is drafted. She said: You shouldknow that he will be wounded but he will come back alive.

And that is what happened. When I was on the outskirts of Berlin, Iwas wounded by a bullet in my hand but I returned home in goodhealth.



had to have copies of the Rebbe’smaamarim in order to be able tostudy them. Surprisingly, thepoliceman left him alone.

When the Rebbe Rashab gave themaamarim of 5672 for printing, hetold him that he wanted the talmidimto learn and be involved in thesemaamarim. This was when he wasstill in the middle of the series andhadn’t finished the hemshech yet. R’Zalman said, “It’s still in themiddle.” The Rebbe smiled and said,“With Hashem’s help, I hope tofinish it.”

R’ Zalman continued to print themaamarim afterwards too, andbetween the years 1921 and 1929 hewould print maamarim whilewandering through the country,traveling from place to place in theunderground work of spreadingTorah in the framework of TiferesBachurim.

His hiskashrus to the RebbeRashab was strong and soulful. R’Landau related that when R’ Zalmanwas in Eretz Yisroel, he stayed withhis father, R’ Yaakov Landau (whowas his friend from Lubavitch).After the davening, they spoke “andI sat on the side and listened.

Suddenly I remembered that it was 2Nissan (the day of the histalkus ofthe Rebbe Rashab). As soon as Imentioned it R’ Zalman said, “Andsince then we remain orphans,” andthe two of them began to cry withcopious tears.

“It was about fifty years after thehistalkus, such a long time, and afterthe many upheavals that transpiredin the interim and much suffering.The normal course of nature wouldbe for those feelings to dim, and yet,two elderly people cried bitterly forthe Rebbe, decades later! That wastheir hiskashrus to the Rebbe.”

BUILDING HIS HOMEAfter the yeshiva in Lubavitch

was closed in 5677/1917, R’ Zalmanwent with R’ Shmuel Katzman to theCharson district where theyremained on and off for two or threeyears. In 5680 (or 5681), R’ Zalmanmarried the righteous Tzivya Freidaa”h. The wedding took place inCharkov.

In Cheshvan 1922 their sonAvrohom was born. The man later tobecome the 7th Nasi of Chabad, theRebbe MH”M, was present at the

bris (years later, when Avrohom hadyechidus, he said to the Rebbe, “TheRebbe attended my bris.” The Rebbesaid, “Yes, I traveled with mybrother to Rostov).”

Until 1926 R’ Zalman lived withhis family in Charkov where manyChassidim lived at that time andthere was even a yeshiva there.

In 1926 R’ Zalman and hisfamily moved to Horodishatz wherehis parents lived. He continued totravel among different cities andspread Torah under the auspices ofTiferes Bachurim.

In 1929-30 he manufacturedtalleisim for Anash for a living. Helearned the craft of refining the woolas well as spinning and how toweave material, which he used fork’dusha, to make talleisim. As hemade them and would tie on thetzitzis, he reviewed Mishnayos byheart.

There was a time that R’ Zalmanwas unable to obtain the color blackin order to dye the stripes of thetallis. Instead, he took the wool ofbrown goats, and after processingthe wool, he made special threadswhich he made into stripes.

“R’ Zalman told me that he took

R’ Zalman saying a bracha at his granddaughter’s weddingR’ Zalman’s letter code for Mishnayos



great pleasure in this work,” said R’Landau. “As he spun the threads onthe machine, he would learnMishnayos by heart and review ituntil he knew it well and only thenmove on to the next Mishna.

“Among his remaining personaleffects there was a notebook that hekept where he wrote down all of theMishnayos. It enabled him toremember the Mishnayos even if hedid not have the s’farim because hemarked down all the first words ofthe Mishnayos using a letter code.When he saw the first word, heimmediately remembered the entireMishna. That’s how R’ Zalmanlearned the entire six orders of theMishna by heart, word by word!”

The Skoblo family moved to thenearby Jewish town of Rudnia. Atthat time, there was a famine whichwas perpetrated by the governmentand millions died of starvation. Hisson Avrohom relates that during thistime, he and his father dug a well inthe yard in order to have what todrink. With a little bit of money andgoods that was sent to them by thebrother-uncle Yona Skoblo, theymanaged to survive.

THE REBBE CAME IN ADREAM HOLDING A KNIFE

R’ Zalman was weak for manyyears. The reason for his weaknesswas the difficult period heexperienced during World War II.Although he wasn’t drafted into thearmy per se, like other citizens hewas drafted into backbreakingdefense work against the Nazienemy. He was sent to work onfortifications and jobs like pavingroads around Moscow. Theweakness of his body which resultedaffected him the rest of his life.

Throughout this time, R’ Zalmandid not eat any cooked food. Herefused to put anything treif into hismouth and he sufficed with a bit ofbread, sugar and water when hefound it (and he didn’t always find

it). There were days that he did noteat at all and some days he only atepotatoes and sugar. This resulted inmalnutrition which lasted severalyears.

R’ Zalman related that some timebefore he was enlisted in this defensework, he saw the Rebbe Rashab in adream handing him a sh’chita knife.“I asked the Rebbe whether thismeant I should study sh’chita. The

Rebbe said, ‘The sh’chita ofchickens won’t hurt.’ I did not endup studying sh’chita and during theyears of famine, I noticed chickenswalking around. If I had knownsh’chita, it would have been veryuseful to me.”

HE IS ONE OF USAfter the war, the Skoblo family

reunited and returned to Charkov.At that time, there were severalactive minyanim, shochtim, etc. sothat Judaism hadn’t died out therealthough everything was donesecretly. Some time later, a Torahscholar who was not a LubavitcherChassid, Rabbi Eliezer Felzensteincame and became R’ Zalman’schavrusa. Every day, until R’Zalman moved to Eretz Yisroel, R’Eliezer went to his house and theylearned Gemara, halacha, andChassidus together.

R’ Dovid Abba Gurewitz relates:In Tamuz 1968, R’ Mottel

Kozliner and I decided to locate theholy gravesites in Lubavitch that hadbeen neglected for fifty years, toclean them up, and mark them witha gate, both out of respect and sothat every Chassid would knowwhere the graves were. When Iplanned the dangerous trip Ithought of including one of theelder Chassidim who had learned inTomchei T’mimim in Lubavitch. Ihad R’ Zalman Skoblo in mind.

I went to Charkov and went tothe house of R’ Eliezer Felzensteinwhom I knew from his visits toTashkent. After the Shabbos mealwe went to R’ Zalman. The elderlyChassid was sitting at the table andlearning. R’ Eliezer quickly told him,“He is one of ours,” as he pointed atme, so that R’ Zalman wouldn’t beuncomfortable about a stranger inhis house.

I knew that I had a difficult task.R’ Skoblo was old and long-suffering. After I introduced myself,a conversation ensued about friends

Before I left forEretz Yisroel Ideliberated overwhether to travel tothe gravesite of theRebbe Rashab inRostov. On the onehand, I yearned togo so greatly… Onthe other hand… Ifinally decided thatit would bet r e m e n d o u s l yembarrassing toshow my face to theRebbe and I did notgo… It’s a pity Ididn’t go. When yougo to your father,you don’t take intoc o n s i d e r a t i o nwhether you will beashamed… You justgo!



in common from Tashkent andSamarkand. With great feeling hebegan recalling events from the glorydays in Lubavitch. He toldwonderful stories about the mashpia,R’ Gronem. When I told him thatthe Likkutei Dibburim of the RebbeRayatz had been published and itsaid that Chai Elul is the birthday ofthe Alter Rebbe and the Baal ShemTov, he was overcome with emotionand he said, “We never heard aboutthis in Lubavitch. A lot of the historyof the Rebbeim is only beingrevealed lately and only a little bithas reached us, as well as maamarimfrom the Rebbe, the Siddur T’hillasHashem, and the Tanya.”

When he said this, he showed usa different Tanya that had beenprinted in Vilna and had theautograph of the Rebbe Rashab onit. We were gripped by awe as weheld this Tanya.

It came time to talk about thetrip though from his state of health Icould see there was nothing to talkabout. However, I saw his yearningfor Lubavitch and his strong desireto accompany me on the trip, toreturn to the place where he hadbasked in the light of the RebbeRashab together with his fellowT’mimim.

You can readily imagine howpained he was when I told him thereason for my coming to him. Helooked extremely sad as he said,“You can see that just walking toshul on Shabbos which is two blocksfrom here, is a big problem for me.How could I go to Lubavitch whichis so far away?” And he began tocry.

THE OFFICER ROSE IN HIS HONOR

R’ Zalman was once called to thepolice station. When he returnedafterwards, he said what happened.When he was taken in to see thepolice chief, the man stood up in hishonor and treated him very well.

The officer said, “You can learn withthe old people but woe if you teachthe young.”

Nevertheless, he did not stopteaching the young. Hisgrandchildren and other boys wholived in Charkov visited his home inorder to hear divrei Torah andChassidus. He sat and learnedconstantly, especially after hestopped working.

MOVED TO SEECHILDREN ANSWERING

AMENR’ Zalman moved to Eretz

Yisroel in 5729/1969 after muchsuffering and not before goingthrough a difficult test. Two yearsearlier, in 5727, the communistgovernment approved his leaving forIsrael. R’ Zalman, who was an oldman already, sold his house andbelongings and packed, and thentraveled on the train for days.

But then the Six Day War beganand the Soviets canceled his visa. R’

Zalman had to retrace his steps. Herelated:

Before I left for Eretz Yisroel Ideliberated over whether to travel tothe gravesite of the Rebbe Rashab inRostov. On the one hand, I yearnedto go so greatly that I cannot put itinto words. On the other hand, thegreat shame in showing my face wasenormous. How could I show myface to the Rebbe, looking as I did… I finally decided that it would betremendously embarrassing to showmy face to the Rebbe and I did notgo.”

When he related this, he criedand said, “It’s a pity I didn’t go.When you go to your father youdon’t take into considerationwhether you will be ashamed toshow your face or not. You just goto your father!”

After moving to Eretz Yisroel, helived in the Chabad neighborhood inLud. He felt quite at home, readilymingling with the many Chassidim,the cream of the crop, living there.He felt a great chayus living nearyeshivas Tomchei T’mimim. In aletter that his wife wrote at that timeto her son Avrohom who remainedin Russia, she described R’ Zalmanas a fish in water.

R’ Zalman was recognized as oneof the ziknei Anash, a Torah scholar,a tremendous baal avoda, and a manof glowing countenance and deepemotion.

He couldn’t help but cry when hesaw schoolchildren answering “amenyehei shmei rabba” enthusiastically.It was a sight he could not behold incommunist Russia and it moved himtremendously. He would cry whenhe heard children say amen.

R’ Landau relates that R’ Zalmanasked to be able to attend shiur andlisten along with the talmidim.

“For a time we learned YorehDei’a together. I was amazed howfluent he was in it as though he hadjust learned it.”

He wasn’t completely at peace in

R’ Zalman in Rudnia



Eretz Yisroel since his son Avrohomand his family remained behind theIron Curtain. R’ Zalman knew thatmost Jews ended up absorbing thecoldness and communist heresy andmoving away from a life of Torah,not to mention the assimilation.

For religious people, likeAvrohom and his family, life wasextremely difficult. R’ Zalmanworried about his descendents ifthey were forced to remain inRussia. In nearly every copy of thenotes he would send to the Rebbe,he mentioned this:

Pidyon nefesh to the Rebbeshlita, please arouse great mercyfor me, Shneur Zalman Moshe benGittel Leah that Hashem help thatI be inspired to true t’shuva andthat Hashem strengthen my healthmaterially and spiritually and thatI merit to see my son and his entirefamily very soon and get muchnachas from them, materially andspiritually.

Having had bitter experiencewith visas and their cancellation, R’Zalman asked the Rebbe in anotherletter that the requests submitted byhis son to obtain visas work out well:

My son Avrohom ben Tzivyawho is in Charkov submitted arequest for permission to movewith his family to Eretz Yisroelabout a month ago and he waitsfor an answer soon, with Hashem’shelp, and I request the Rebbe’sbracha that he get permissionwithout obstacles and that it allwork out successfully.

Indeed, that year, Avrohom andhis family moved to Eretz Yisroelafter a difficult journey.

At that time, by order of theRebbe, no more apartments weredesignated for Anash in Lud. R’Zalman, who wanted his son andgrandchildren to live nearby, wrote aheartfelt plea to the Rebbe fromwhich we see how important aChassidishe education for his family

was to him:… I have a request of the

Rebbe. This is my portion of all mytoil, and the only thing I want, thatmy descendents be educated anddirected according to the way ofTorah and Judaism in our spirit,and this was my entire goal in mymany efforts to leave Russia andmove to Eretz Yisroel, to save themfrom the darkness there and bringthem here, knowing that if theyremained there, what their endwould be. Boruch Hashem, Imerited to see a good beginning inmy efforts in that I merited tomove to Eretz Yisroel and to bringthem here too despite the manydifficulties this entailed. My hopeand prayer to Hashem is that Hestrengthen me in the future too, tocontinue in my work in theirchinuch for good.

Needless to say how much thisaffects my soul, what their futurewill be and how their behavior willbe. The only way, it seems to me, toattain my desire is to educate andguide them only if they are near me… Therefore I present my requestfrom the depths of my heart beforethe Rebbe, that an exception bemade and you tell them to givethem an apartment in ShikunChabad in Lud … Likewise Irequest the bracha of the Rebbethat I merit to see nachas in myefforts and that I derive muchnachas from all my descendents,Yiddishe and Chassidishe nachas.

Shortly thereafter, the Rebbe sentinstructions to make an exceptionand allot an apartment to Avrohomand his family.

THE CHARACTER OF A TAMIM

R’ Zalman once said that henever told a lie. As for somethingthat wasn’t true and wasn’t a lie – hehadn’t refrained from that entirely.Even when he was interrogated by

the KGB, when he didn’t tell thetruth, he still tried not to lie butcleverly worded his answers to getaround it.

R’ Meir Gruzman, one of theroshei yeshivos in Tomchei T’mimimin Kfar Chabad, related:

“Now and then I would visit R’Zalman in his house. He did notspeak much but one of the thingsthat really got to me was that healways sat on the edge of his chair.You constantly saw kabbalas ol onhim. I paid attention and never did Isee him sit back comfortably in achair! I consider this a big thing!”

R’ Landau relates:“When R’ Zalman moved to

Eretz Yisroel and lived in Lud, hewould come to the yeshiva and sit inon my class. He spent most of hisday in yeshiva. He would sometimesfarbreng with the younger talmidim.He once spoke about the avoda oft’filla that while davening, youshould not think about anythingaside from the words. He spokestrongly about the need to davenwith kavana and when davening‘nothing should exist except fort’filla, and one should be focusedonly on the Siddur and on nothingelse going on around.’

“The talmidim listened but it washard for them to believe that thereare people who while davening feelthat whatever is going on aroundthem does not exist, and theyconcentrate fully on the words.Some bachurim decided to test him,to see whether R’ Zalman did whathe demanded of them.

“Afterwards, they told me whathappened. R’ Zalman’s regular seatfor davening was at a shtender neara large window. They took theirplaces at the window and as hedavened Mincha they took picturesof him. They thought he might yellat them or pick up his head but hedid not notice what was going onand did not even look up. He wascompletely immersed in his davening



and they were very impressed.“I also learned from the following

incident. I once asked R’ Zalmansomething in ruchnius and he gaveme an answer that seemed very lofty,not on my level at all. I went to themashpia R’ Shlomo ChaimKesselman who was very sick at thetime and in bed. He could barelymove. I went to his room and toldhim that I was coming from R’Zalman Skoblo and I had asked himsuch-and-such and what heanswered me. R’ Shlomo Chaimkind of jumped in bed and said inwonder: “That R’ Zalman was aChassidishe bachur, we all knewthat; but to this extent? I didn’trealize.”

WITH A LUCID MINDR’ Landau relates:“One time, R’ Zalman asked me

to arrange a minyan for a mesirasmodaa (making a legally bindingannouncement). The kabbalists writethat when a person dies, the Satanstands near him and tells him todeny G-d, and the neshama refusesbut we are afraid lest due to theconfusion of the moment theneshama will agree. Therefore, whilestill of sound mind one should prayto Hashem in advance.

“R’ Zalman was healthy at thetime and I tried to dissuade him sohe wouldn’t be thinking about death.I told him he would live long etc. Itwas awkward but since he insisted, Idid as he asked. He told me that hewould prepare a list for me of thepeople he wanted to come andparticipate in the minyan.

“When the minyan gathered atthe appointed time, there was a verysomber atmosphere. It was afrightening scene. R’ Zalman saidthe nusach with great kavana andthen said Shma Yisroel withtremendous feeling that isindescribable. Then I offered cups ofschnapps and we said l’chaim andwished him long life. But his

preparations for the next world werea powerful lesson.

“In the latter period of his life,after the passing of the mashpia, R’Shlomo Chaim Kesselman, he askedthat his grave be near R’ ShlomoChaim. I did as he asked and spokeabout it to R’ Lazer Nannes whowas in charge of the plots belongingto Kollel Chabad and he said hewould fulfill his request.

“I went to R’ Zalman and toldhim that his request was accepted.(From the way R’ Nannes treated therequest, I saw how much heesteemed R’ Zalman. I didn’t have tosay more than that R’ Zalman madethe request and he said: If that is R’Zalman’s request, then we will surelydo that).

“One day R’ Zalman said to me:I have the feeling that my spot isbeing taken away. When I asked himwhat he meant, he did not specify,but this was his feeling.

“The night before he passedaway, there was a terrible caraccident in which four Lubavitcherswere killed on their way back from awedding. Among those killed wasRabbi Shneur Zalman Garelik, therav of Kfar Chabad. R’ Garelik wasburied in the spot next to R’ ShlomoChaim.”

R’ Zalman passed away on 8Sivan 5734/1974 at the age of 82.He was buried at the head of R’Shlomo Chaim. His heart’s desirethat all his descendents go in theway of Torah and mitzvos wasrealized. All of them are ChabadChassidim, mekusharim to theRebbe MH”M.

The article is based on the book “A LubavitcherTamim” which was edited by Rabbi Menachem

Mendel Bronfman.

R’ Avrohom Skoblo receiving a dollar from the Rebbe

R’ Zalman reciting the Birkas HaMazon



The setting was the school ofthe religious kibbutz, EinHaNetziv, in the Beit Shaan valleyduring the summer of 1979:

The bell rang and the studentsran out to play. One student,Sholom Fash, was asked by histeacher to remain behind.

“I want to talk to you,” shesaid. When the eight year old wentover to his teacher’s desk, hewasn’t surprised by her questionwhich she asked in all sincerity,“Why do you need to be different?Your chareidi behaviorautomatically makes you alaughingstock.”

The child’s answer, as she laterrelated to his mother, amazed her.He said, “Look at me. You see,nothing happened to me becausethey laughed? So let them continuelaughing.”

As time passed, this responsebecame a principle that shaped hischaracter. Today, R’ Sholom Fashis known in Kiryat Malachi as thedirector of “Beis Moshiach.”

MILITARY PREP SCHOOL,ARMY SERVICE, AND

THEN K’VUTZAI had planned on speaking to R’

Sholom about his work for anarticle but he isn’t one forpublicity. This is not a cliché butthe truth. Our “argument” wasclinched by a sicha that a Chassidin his shul reviewed one Shabbos,in which the Rebbe explains thatjust as the avoda of the High Priesthad to be done in a garmentdecorated with tinkling bells, sothat “the sound of his entering theHoly will be heard,” so too, a

person shouldn’t be modest and dohis work quietly but has topublicize what he does.

Sholom’s parents, Isser andZiva Fash, are baalei t’shuva whobecame Lubavitch through theirfriends, Lubavitchers in ChevelTaanachim. Sholom remembers theShabbos and Yom Tov meals, theMelaveh Malka or Chol HaMoedPesach meals when his parents senthim to the Sossonkin, Dunin andKlatchi families so they would besure he ate kosher food l’mehadrinand was in a Chassidicenvironment.

At the kibbutz, despite it being areligious kibbutz, Sholom and hisfamily had to contend with thedaily stares of people who kept aclose watch on them. For example,on Independence Day, when all themembers said Hallel with festive

sh l i chus

In the center of Kiryat Malachi, at thejunction of Jerusalem and Ben Gurionstreets, over a row of restaurants and apopular shopping center, is a Chabadcenter called “Beis Moshiach.” It attractsdozens of Anash and T’mimim as well aspre-observant youth. All activities thattake place there are done to prepare forthe hisgalus of the Rebbe MH”M.

�BEISMOSHIACH�By Mendel Tzfasman



fervor, the children of the Fashfamily read Pirkei Avos in order notto stand out. Even the switch froma knitted kippa to a black yarmulkewas done gradually. At first heordered a dark blue yarmulke, “Sothey wouldn’t notice and quiz me.”

His father’s decision to let hisbeard grow wasn’t easy. It was onlywhen his wife and children joinedforces and “stole” the afikomanand refused to return it that hecommitted to growing a beard.

Sholom was on K’vutza in5752, a year of upheavals as wellas unusual giluyim, but unlike hisfellow talmidim, he didn’t go onK’vutza after learning for six yearsin Chabad yeshivos (he did thatafter he got married when helearned in Kollel for over six years)but instead went into the army. Inthe army, Sholom commanded a

tank. He used his position to instillJewish values in his men andcolleagues. He spent his militaryvacations at the Chabad yeshiva inTzfas. He describes his leaving thearmy for K’vutza as “going out ofgalus to Geula.”

While serving in the army, hereceived firsthand reports aboutwhat was going on in Chabad fromguys who read and listened tonewspapers and radio respectively.So he remembers the sicha of 28Nissan in which the Rebbeannounced, “I have done my part;from here-on-in do what you canto bring Moshiach Tzidkeinu.” Theguys told him that in the paper itsaid that the Lubavitcher Rebbehad despaired of Moshiach!

He describes his arrival at 770for the first time as a Chabadnik,dressed the part (he had gone with

his father to theRebbe on other occasions, beforehis K’vutza year):

“Before the flight I bought a hatand suit which I put in my suitcase.When I got to Crown Heights Iwent to the mikva first and onlythen ‘put on the uniform’ andwalked into 770 as a Tamim.

OBSESSED WITHSHLICHUS

After he got married to his wifeAvishag, the daughter of R’Shmaryahu Hillel, the youngcouple lived in Lud. While learningin Kollel he began to work withEliyahu Gabbai, running a Chabadhouse in Ramle. Even when theymoved to Nachalat Har Chabad inKiryat Malachi, after three years ofoutreach work and learning he



continued to yearn for shlichus.“As soon as we arrived at our

apartment which was in a buildingpopulated by pre-observant Jews,we noticed that their children werewandering around outside withnothing to do. We got the childrentogether for a Tzivos Hashem clubthat we held twice a week.”

Along with the work with thechildren, Sholom got involved witha series of shiurim given in shuls intown that were organized by R’Elimelech Hertzl and R’ MosheHillel, and he began to give shiurimon Geula and Moshiach at twoshuls. Later on, when he began to

work as a sofer, he opened anevening Kollel in his building’smiklat (bomb shelter).

He and his wife developedpersonal relationships with theneighbors in order to be mekarevthem. One neighbor began to dressmodestly and to cover her hair. Asa result, her entire family becamemore involved in Jewish life. Therewere many other cases like that.

FROM THE GALUSSHELTER TO THE GEULA

BUILDINGWhen the program expanded and

included shiurim for women andgirls, Mrs. Esther Kreisman, todaythe principal of the seminar“HaYahalom Sh’b’Keter” (theDiamond in the Crown) said, “Themiklat is galus and we have to getout to a place of Geula!” Togetherwith Mrs. Fash, she walked thestreets one winter day in 5764 untilthey came to the most central areaof the city and announced, “TheBeis Moshiach will be located here.”

The place overlooks the mainsquare of the city and is located atthe junction of Jerusalem and BenGurion streets, above a row ofrestaurants and a popular shopping

When the eight yearold went over to histeacher’s desk, hewasn’t surprised byher question, “Whydo you need to bedifferent? Yourchareidi behaviora u t o m a t i c a l l ymakes you alaughingstock.” Thechild’s answer, asshe later related tohis mother, amazedher. He said, “Lookat me. You see,nothing happenedto me because theylaughed? So letthem continuelaughing.”

Sholom before K’vutza

Sholom Fash teaching soldiers. Once a tankist, always a tankist.



center, which attracts young peopleday and night. It turned out to bean excellent location. Sholom got intouch with the owner of thebuilding who was willing to rent itto him.

R’ Shabtai Weintraub, a friendof Sholom’s from K’vutza days,announced at a farbrengen thatthey needed to have an “OnegShabbos” every Friday night andbring kids up to Beis Moshiach. Forfive years now, the two of them runa program for youth on Fridaynights where the kids hear Kiddush,sing Shabbos z’miros, hear aboutthe weekly parsha from a Geulaperspective and miracle storiesabout the Rebbe.

Over the years, hundreds of kidshave attended the Oneg Shabbos.They made hachlatos, their spiritualpersonality was shaped, and allwithout exception became stronglyconnected to the Rebbe. Sholomtells us about one of them:

“Kfir, a graduate of OnegShabbos and now in the Air Force,decided one Shabbos to keepShabbos properly. Even after hewent to the army where keepingShabbos is difficult, he remainedfaithful to his commitment. OneShabbos, when he was given theassignment of guard duty in adistant place, he went Erev Shabboswith a driver to his nighttime guardpost and sent the driver off.

“It poured that Shabbos. Hisfriends suggested that when hisguard duty was over he shouldreturn by car to where they slept sohe wouldn’t get soaked but he said,‘I promised the Lubavitcher Rebbethat I would keep Shabbos. He willmake sure it doesn’t rain.’ WhenKfir walked the two kilometers backto where he was sleeping, not adrop of rain fell!”

***At Mrs. Kreisman’s seminary

there is a program of lectures andfarbrengens for women and girls.

Many girls have made goodhachlatos and every week there is arotation amongst the girls, whosenumbers continue to grow, andthey take turns telling of iskafiathey did that week.

Beis Moshiach doesn’t onlyinvest in the future generation.Every day, seniors attend the KollelTiferes Z’keinim which is directedby R’ Shneur Zalman Maatuf,where they learn Mishna andHalacha, Midrash and Geula.

Beis Moshiach’s outreach toeveryone, including parents, boysand girls, brings entire families tothe Rebbe without the “side effects”

that are sometimes caused by beingmekarev just one family member.

Until recently, Beis Moshiachran a Kollel. The men heardexcellent shiurim and receivedpersonal direction from the RoshKollel, R’ Shmaryah Hillel and hisson, Moshe. They were tested forsmicha by Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahuand Rabbi Yitzchok YehudaYaroslavsky, secretary of the VaadRabbanei Chabad.

On Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5768,the Kollel format changed and itbecame a yeshiva for baalei t’shuvawith full room and board.

Yoni Fein in a pre-Shavuos program

Young people from Kiryat Malachi at Beis Moshiach



THE CHAYUS OF 770When the Oneg Shabbos

activities expanded, a Chabad shulopened at Beis Moshiach. This wason 15 Tamuz 2004. At first therewas a minyan only on Shabbos, butwhen Anash returned from 770 atthe end of Tishrei 5765, theydecided to have minyanim there onweekdays too.

I visited Beis Moshiach for thet’fillos and farbrengens on Shabbos.It’s hard to put the atmosphere intowriting but I can definitelyrecommend that if you end up inKiryat Malachi for Shabbos, don’tmiss the farbrengen at BeisMoshiach, a farbrengen whichbegins by learning together fromkuntres Heichaltzu or kuntresAhavas Yisroel.

Beis Moshiach has somethingunique that distinguishes it fromother shuls. You can always hear oneof the many miracle stories whichabound, or firsthand accounts fromJews who have come to the rationalconclusion that the world is readyfor Geula, or just experience an“ordinary” farbrengen where peoplereally open up. You will see beardedelderly Chassidim dancing on chairsarm in arm with young Chassidim orT’mimim. You may be present whenan idea is presented and by the end

of the farbrengen it is fleshed out,up to and including delegating thevarious jobs and working out howevery last penny will be covered.

A good idea for every Chabadhouse to copy is the first minyan.Every Shabbos, while Anash arebusy learning Chassidus in the otherroom, there is a minyan formekuravim which begins at 7:30a.m. After they are finished, they sitdown to a short farbrengen withSholom. If you think that a shortfarbrengen doesn’t make an impact,the reality here proves otherwise.During these brief farbrengensimportant hachlatos are made likethe group that flew to the Rebbewith Sholom.

This short trip made atremendous impression on them.One of them began to grow a beardand looks like a born-and-bredchareidi. Another one decorated hiscar with stickers that urge people toprepare for Geula by adding inmitzvos and good deeds. Anotherone arranged times to learnp’nimius ha’Torah and inyaneiGeula. They enthusiastically toldtheir friends, the people who davenin the first minyan, “you feel thatthe Rebbe is here and looking atyou.” The natural envy of those whodid not go on the trip makes themresolve to form another group thatwill go to the Rebbe.

LIGHTING UP THE KIRYAAs loyal Chassidim, the people

who work at Beis Moshiach preparethe people of their town to greetMoshiach and don’t just talk aboutthis to those who take the initiativeto come to them. The ways theyinteract with people are varied.

Their crowning achievement hasto be their work with youth. Everyday, a group goes from BeisMoshiach, led by Shneur ZalmanMaatuf, to the Amal school in KiryatMalachi and the elementary schoolof the neighboring moshav, Be’er

He has given outraffles, valuableprizes like a dollarfrom the Rebbe, alaptop, a digitalcamera, mountainbikes, stylish shoes,etc. The studentslearn lines of Tanyaand Mishnayos byheart. It’sheartwarming tosee T’mimim sittingin public parkstogether with kidsbeing tested on linesof Tanya, PirkeiAvos, or Mishnayosby heart.

children learning Mishnayos and Tanya by heart



Tuvia, in order to put on t’fillin withthe students. There are someinteresting stories connected withthis outreach that began withenormous opposition from theparent committee who protestedwhat they called religious coercion.However, by now, they arewelcomed with open arms.

Before every Chassidishe date,like 19 Kislev, 10 Shevat, 11 Nissan,or 3 Tammuz, Sholom thinks ofways to get the kids to a farbrengenat Beis Moshiach. He has given outraffles, valuable prizes like a dollarfrom the Rebbe, a laptop, a digitalcamera, mountain bikes, stylishshoes, etc. The students learn linesof Tanya and Mishnayos by heart.It’s heartwarming to see T’mimimsitting in public parks together withkids being tested on lines of Tanya,Pirkei Avos, or Mishnayos by heart.

Before Yud Shevat, BeisMoshiach had a contest in whichwhoever signed up others on theKabbalas HaMalchus form wasentered into a raffle for a dollar fromthe Rebbe. Another dollar, notraffled off, was given to the personwho signed up the most people. Thenumber of people who participate inthe contests continually amazes evenSholom.

Erev Yud-Alef Nissan, a group ofbachurim and Sholom set up a tableand a big video screen in thebusiness district on which theyshowed videos of the Rebbe. Theyinvited passersby to join thefarbrengen.

Sholom is always coming up withcreative ideas. Before Shavuos heheld an evening of preparation forMattan Torah in which the kids sataround a bonfire and enjoyed abarbecue with Yoni Fein whoaccompanied himself on the guitarand told them about the Rebbe andhow he became a mekurav of theRebbe.

For Lag B’Omer, the BeisMoshiach staff builds a magnificent

Members of the Kollel

Mekuravim at a farbrengen in Beis Moshiach

THE SEUDAS HODAA THAT MADE A MIRACLEFive years ago, Yosef Yitzchok Fash, Sholom’s brother, was critically

wounded. He was serving as staff Sergeant of a reconnaissance unit ofthe Golani Brigade near the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Rafiachand was hit in the head by an Arab sniper’s bullet that went through hishelmet. The doctors were skeptical about his survival but the prayersand the emuna in the Rebbe’s brachos that were received via the IgrosKodesh, triumphed.

On Shabbos, two days after the injury, Sholom held a farbrengen atBeis Moshiach which he called a “Seudas Hodaa for the miracle.”Immediately after Shabbos, his mother said that she didn’t move fromher son’s bedside and that Yossi had regained full consciousness andhad started speaking and was now designated “lightly wounded – awalking miracle.”



float with a Moshiach theme and thetruck leads the parade in KiryatMalachi and invites all viewers andparticipants in the parade to take anactive role in bringing the Geula bydoing mitzvos and good deeds.Every year, their float is a hit. Thetruck is donated by someone inmemory of his son who used to be astudent at Beis Moshiach and waskilled in a car accident.

MIRACULOUS LIVINGWhen I asked Sholom to tell me

miracle stories, he had a hard timebecause he has almost gotten usedto his unusual way of life. Withsome pressure from me, I managedto extract a few stories though notbefore he said this, “Whenever wehave to pay for something oranother and we don’t have themoney, we get in our car and go,with absolute confidence that by thetime we reach our destination, wewill get the money.

“For example, we had to make acertain payment one evening and wehad no idea where the money wouldcome from. Yet we knew that if weneeded to, we’d pay it! I left thatafternoon for a nearby moshav formivtza t’fillin as we do every day.When we finished with mivtzaim, weturned around to leave when a boyon a bicycle said, ‘Excuse me, doyou collect tz’daka?’ He added, ‘Canyou bless my family?’

“When I answered yes to bothquestions, I said I would write to theRebbe for a bracha for them. Hetook out a bag of coins and gave itto me with the names of his familymembers. When I got home, Iopened the bag and to my surprise itwas the amount of money weneeded.”

One year, Sholom arrived homeon Erev Rosh HaShana, and whenhe got out of his car he heard a loudnoise which let him know that hiscar had breathed its last. He jokinglytold a friend that he spoke to shortly

thereafter that they were starting theyear 5768 whose acronym is tiheishnas Savanna chadasha (may thisbe the year of a new Savanna [van]).

The friend who got a good laughout of that had no idea that hewould be the messenger for DivineProvidence. Right after RoshHaShana, a friend of his called fromabroad and asked him to pass alonga nice donation to a tz’daka that wasclose to his heart, on his behalf. Helost no time but went with Sholomto buy a new, you guessed it,Savanna.

The van is decorated with theRebbe’s picture, with Yechi, withMoshiach flags and a qualityloudspeaker. It is known as theGeula Tank and Sholom drives it in

Kiryat Malachi in order to publicizethe Rebbe’s message.

Beis Moshiach conveys this onemessage: every action, every mitzva,everything you learn needs to bedone for the purpose of welcomingthe Rebbe MH”M. When I askedSholom whether this message is foreveryone, he said, “The Rebbe saysthe world is ready for Geula and thisis the reality. We sometimes stop infear of what people will say butexperience has shown that whenyou’re straight-talking, people acceptit.

“To the people who come to BeisMoshiach it is clear that the Rebbe iscoming imminently to redeem us.Sometimes they even wish oneanother, ‘Yechi HaMelech’ instead ofthe standard Israeli greeting.”

Kollel Tiferes Z’keinim

The Geula TankThe mayor of Kiryat Malachi and hisdeputy at the menorah lighting.


Documents

702 Beis MoshiachThe following letter was written by the Frierdike Rebbe about his impending visit to Eretz Yisroel and was received on the 17th of Tammuz 5689 (1929): Yeshivas Toras