Menachem Shuchat

I would like to share some ideas that I heard from Reb Volf.

He was of the opinion that it was "ossur" to tie or untie the twist ties (used on plastic bags containing baked goods) on Shabbos since it goes into the catagory of Posail Chavolim (making rope) which is ossur on Shabbos. He asked me to ask different Rabbonim. Most Rabbonim agreed. One Rov told me that it's "muttar". When I told him this he told me that it could happen that a Rov is so used to saying that it's muttar , even when you tell them reasons to the contrary they may not take the time to rethink their "psak'. To this he told me a story with Reb Hillel paritcher that Reb Hillel was once giving a shiur to simple people & happened to mention to them that he made tsitsis in his tallis kotton at night. One of the listeners told him that it's ossur therefore making them possul. He didn't think a moment & immediately removed his tallis kotton in front of them.

Reb Volf once told me that he once asked the Rebbe about a certain hanhogo which the Rebbe had. He expected that the Rebbe would tell him that it's "minhag bais horav". But the Rebbe's answer was "vail azoi shtait in Ketsos Hashulchan!" of Rav Chaim Noeh.

Reb V. told me that he once asked the Rebbe in yechidus what bochurim should learn (that's easy) to know Halocho L'maaseh. The Rebbe anwered that they should learn kitzur shulchan aruch with the commentary misgeress hashulchan. The rebbe said at that point that "halevai" Rabbis would know kitsur with the misgeress so that "zai volten gevust vos m'meg ton un vos m' tor nisht ton!" (p.s. Reb Avrohom Hersh Cohen a"h, rosh hakollel in Kfar Chabad, told me that the baal misgeress hashulchan was a Chabad chosid)

Reb V. also told me about the baal misgeress hashulchan that the day he passed away there was a big snow all over Eretz Yisroel, meaning that a great person passed away.

Reb V. also told me that the Rebbe once told him about the Ungarishe Rabbonim, that "zai hobben a glaiche tzugang in Halocho".

Some anecdotes told by Reb V. at Farbrengens:

When the Frierdiker Rebbe would write his maamorim he also wrote sources in nigleh. Before he would give them to be printed, he would cut them them off from the page. When asked why he did this he responded "milmailo lozt men nisht", in other words, that it is from above that he is prevented from revealing his greatness in nigleh. Instead he instructed the Rebbe to do so. Chassidim were upset that the Rebbe is doing this to the maamorim, which is why the Rebbe "admitted" in the introduction to the future volumes, that he was instructed to do so by the Frierdiker Rebbe. One time the possuk v'choshakto boh was dealt with in a maamar, to which the Rebbe in his notes described at great length the different levels of cheshek (desire), thereby taking up a major part of the page. This infuriated some chassidim. What chutzpa on the part of the Rebbe! Why was it so important to the Rebbe to delve into the different levels of desire & to describe them at length, thus taking up a major part of the page? They complained to the Frierdiker Rebbe about the Rebbe's "audacity", to which the Frierdiker Rebbe responded that "zeiner hagohos darf men lernen vee dee Tsemach Tsedek's hagohos oif Likutai Toirah"!

On the possuk in Tehillim "any hayom yelidehticho" he said that the letters of the word "any" stand for Yud Alef Nisan.

Reb V. told the story that the Alter Rebbe was once in the shul of the Barditchever. The Barditchever was davening mincha very late. According to the Alter Rebbe's "shita" it was already night. When the minyan reached Kedusha the Alter Rebbe stood up but did not recite Kedusha. When asked about it, the Alter Rebbe responded that "Dee malochim zogen nisht kedusha yetst. Ich ken nisht baiten shiras hamalochim!" To which Reb V. added that what the Alter Rebbe was unable to do the Rebbe was indeed able to do, since the Rebbe would daven mincha very late upon returning from the Ohel.

Reb V. always stressed in reference to Yud Shvat that us as Chassidim of the Rebbe should put our main focus on the kabbolas han'sius of the Rebbe.

Reb V. told us what the Munkatcher said that if you would rip open the heart of a misnaged you would find a tseilem. (p.s. Reb Avrohom Hersh cohen told me a second part of the story, that the Munkatcher was asked that by doing so you will kill him, to which he answered "a kappora a misnaged!"