Levi Y. Laine

B”H

27^th of Teves 5771

1) Reb Volf Greenglass told me the following story in 5766. It was Lag ba’omer 5711 and the farbrengen was set up as a square with all the chassidim sitting on the benches around the tables and the bochurim would stand behind them (like you can see in all the pictures of the farbrengens from those days). He said that he was standing across the Rebbe. In the middle of the farbrengen the Rebbe motioned his hand towards him and said “du host doch a chush in negine zing a nigun” Reb volf told me that he didn’t really have a feeling for nigunim so he wasn’t so involved in nigunim, and therefore the only nigun he could remember was the nigun his mashpia in Otvotzk Reb Berl Kurnitzer (Garfinkel) would always sing, so he started that nigun (nigun 144 in sefer hanigunim heichal negina 31-08) but no one knew it, so he sang it by himself. He said that from then on he had a chush in neginah (he felt a feeling for nigunim).

After the farbrengen he spent some time teaching a group of chassidim this nigun.

(On the recording Purim 5718 you can hear the Rebbe singing the second part of this nigun fast and with a chayos)

2) one day they put up a bronze plaque in zal honoring a donor from anash, with a goyishe date on it. Reb Volf was a bit upset when I asked him about it he told me 2 stories of the Rebbe regarding goyeshe dates.

א) When the Rebbe went to the ohel the first time after Yud Shvat 5710 the Rebbe looked around at the matzevos around the ohel from anash and when the Rebbe saw that some of them had goyishe dates on them, the Rebbe was very upset and the Rebbe made a strong remark.

ב) The Rebbe once received a letter from a man who needed help financially, and since Reb Volf had a connection with this man, the Rebbe sent a check to Reb Volf to cash and give to this man. The Rebbe filled out the check personally and did not write the date on the check!

3) Reb Volf once told a story about his zeide in Varsha (Warsaw Poland) who was a rich man and a big yiras shomayim not only would he give money to the poor, he would also go collecting money for the poor.

One time when he went collecting he took along his friend a big chossid and talmid chachom, as they were walking down one of the busy market streets, his friend sat down on the sidewalk to rest for a few moments Reb Volf explained that in those days the side walk was a few feet above the street, to prevent accidents of horses and carriages hitting people. This chossid was dressed in Chassidic clothing and looking like a chossid Reb Volf’s zeide thought that it would cause the goyim to make a spectacle in the market place so he asked his friend not to rest over there on the sidewalk ווייל אלע מענטשן קוקן (because all the people/goyim are watching), so his friend answered זיי זיינען מענטשן? זיי זיינען בהמות. (those aren’t people those are animals!)

Hatomim L.Y.L.