Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Schneur Zalman
My name is Schneur Zalman, one time in my teens when I was going through a “rebellious" state my father introduced me by name to Reb Greenglass, and Reb Greenglass looked a me and said in yiddish “I am jealous of your name”. It had a big impression on me and I always remembered it.
Another thing: For my Bar mitzvah Reb Grenglass sent me a sefer a letter, and a printed paper instructing me to daven each word clearly and out loud, and that is how I daven since then because of that letter.
Reb Greenglass was a man of soul his neshama was shining through his body.
Chaye B
Rabbi Moshe E. Gerlitzky A'H was one of the nine shluchim that came with Rabbi Greenglass A"H to Montreal in 1941.
The story goes like this, Reb Volf A"H was a chosid of another Rebbe, and he did not go to Lubavitch, but came to visit, and when he saw how Rabbi Moshe E Gerlitzky davens with such kavono, he changed his mind and stayed in Lubavitch.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Cohen
Reb Volf making pictures for lag b'omer parade 3 a.m. He was helping to make signs for kids to carry with YIDISHE oisiyois.
A yungerman
Although I was not zoche to be a talmid of his, here are some stories I had collected over time, related by R' Volff. יהיו לעילוי נשמתו.
~ Reb Zalman Zezmer said:"der vos ken nit halten der machshova fertzen sho'oh nochanand, iz nit b'geder odom"..
~ When the Rebbe would distribute Matzos before Pesach, he gave someone a matzah shleima for another fellow, who lived in a different place. The chosid was only going to travel there after Pesach, and thus told the Rebbe, "But I won't see him till after Pesach.."
The Rebbe answered, "Der Matza iz gut oich fahr noch Pesach.."
(- B'shem R' Volff. Brought in "Hagada K'Hilchasa" (R. YY Katz, rechovot, 5770. Probably from a Kfar Chabad. I'll just add, to note, that in sifrei halacha and kabbala, they mention a segula for taking Matza, or especially afikoman, on journeys. On one of the Rebbe's visits to Gan Yisroel, he brought along matza, and distributed it – as well – to those who had been in an accident, and the matzav improved greatly – see בנאות דשא).
~ I heard the following, from a shliach (Yossi C.), who learned in Montreal zal 5750-5752:
He mentioned a mayseh'leh he had with R' Volf, on a Friday night seder haYeshiva. It was winter time, when Friday is short and very snowy, and he came back from Mivtzoyim all tired, and fell asleep by Seder Sichos Friday night.
R' Volf walked over from the other side of zal, and woke him up, "du Bist a Shomer Shabbos?" He didn't know what to say, and R' Volf continued, "if you're sleeping, you're Not "shomer" the shabbos.." R' Volf also told him then, that the tzivui in Torah of "menucha" is "..your shor, your chamor" - so if a human sleeps on shabbos, he's on the darga of a beheima..
~ A unique vort from R' Volff:
The Rebbe says in many Sichos that the Geulah of Yud Beis – Yud Gimmel Tamuz is in fact the Geulah of Toras HaChassidus for Klal Yisroel and even the Geulah of Yidishkeit for Klal Yisroel.
As we know that as an outcome of the liberation, the Friediker Rebbe left Russia and arrived in America followed by the Rebbe’s arrival in America, which obviously brought Torah and Yidishkeit to “חצי כדור התחתון" through the thousands of Shluchim worldwide.
In our unique style we can see this story alluded to in Balak’s words in the beginning of the Parsha:
הנה עם יצא ממצרים – behold the nation has gone out of Mitzraim – the Chassidim have gone out of their limitations and boundaries.
הנה כסה את עין הארץ – behold they have covered the earth – the Chassidim went out on Shlichus and literally covered the globe, totally transforming it.
והוא – and they are – and what is their strength?
ישב ממלי – יוסף/יצחק (פריעדיקער רבי), שלום בער (רבי רש"ב), מנחם מענדל (בן) לוי יצחק (הרבי נשיא דורנו)
– the three generations hinted in the word מיד that the Rebbe says have a connection to us in regards to the Geulah.
~ Reb Zalman Zezmer said:"der vos ken nit halten der machshova fertzen sho'oh nochanand, iz nit b'geder odom"..
~ When the Rebbe would distribute Matzos before Pesach, he gave someone a matzah shleima for another fellow, who lived in a different place. The chosid was only going to travel there after Pesach, and thus told the Rebbe, "But I won't see him till after Pesach.."
The Rebbe answered, "Der Matza iz gut oich fahr noch Pesach.."
(- B'shem R' Volff. Brought in "Hagada K'Hilchasa" (R. YY Katz, rechovot, 5770. Probably from a Kfar Chabad. I'll just add, to note, that in sifrei halacha and kabbala, they mention a segula for taking Matza, or especially afikoman, on journeys. On one of the Rebbe's visits to Gan Yisroel, he brought along matza, and distributed it – as well – to those who had been in an accident, and the matzav improved greatly – see בנאות דשא).
~ I heard the following, from a shliach (Yossi C.), who learned in Montreal zal 5750-5752:
He mentioned a mayseh'leh he had with R' Volf, on a Friday night seder haYeshiva. It was winter time, when Friday is short and very snowy, and he came back from Mivtzoyim all tired, and fell asleep by Seder Sichos Friday night.
R' Volf walked over from the other side of zal, and woke him up, "du Bist a Shomer Shabbos?" He didn't know what to say, and R' Volf continued, "if you're sleeping, you're Not "shomer" the shabbos.." R' Volf also told him then, that the tzivui in Torah of "menucha" is "..your shor, your chamor" - so if a human sleeps on shabbos, he's on the darga of a beheima..
~ A unique vort from R' Volff:
The Rebbe says in many Sichos that the Geulah of Yud Beis – Yud Gimmel Tamuz is in fact the Geulah of Toras HaChassidus for Klal Yisroel and even the Geulah of Yidishkeit for Klal Yisroel.
As we know that as an outcome of the liberation, the Friediker Rebbe left Russia and arrived in America followed by the Rebbe’s arrival in America, which obviously brought Torah and Yidishkeit to “חצי כדור התחתון" through the thousands of Shluchim worldwide.
In our unique style we can see this story alluded to in Balak’s words in the beginning of the Parsha:
הנה עם יצא ממצרים – behold the nation has gone out of Mitzraim – the Chassidim have gone out of their limitations and boundaries.
הנה כסה את עין הארץ – behold they have covered the earth – the Chassidim went out on Shlichus and literally covered the globe, totally transforming it.
והוא – and they are – and what is their strength?
ישב ממלי – יוסף/יצחק (פריעדיקער רבי), שלום בער (רבי רש"ב), מנחם מענדל (בן) לוי יצחק (הרבי נשיא דורנו)
– the three generations hinted in the word מיד that the Rebbe says have a connection to us in regards to the Geulah.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Anonymous
Reb Volf is famous for his immense concern and devotion to halacha, and ensuring that others were just as meticulous.
A few things stick out which I keep to this day (I am in my thirties). I say that not as to brag but to show what a special person Reb Volf was. So many years have gone by since he has been my mashpia and yet his impact and chinuch remains with me. His teachings are imbedded within my being and way of life and will stay with me forever:
(1) Reb Volf said that according to Shulchan Aruch one must not walk around with bare feet. You must always have socks on your feet. Hence, when going to sleep you should take your socks off under your blanket and put them on in the morning under the blanket. When I once asked him that Shulchan Aruch says that it goes by what is the norm, and the norm in the world is to go around one's house bare foot, he replied, "Nisht by a yiray shamayim." He explained that it may be the norm by the "world", but it's not the norm for a G-d fearing Jew. To this day I never walk around my house bare foot.
(2) Reb Volf greatly disliked when bochurim ate while standing. He would often tell guys to sit down, explaining that only animals stand while they eat! To this day if I catch myself standing while eating I recall Reb Volf and I sit.
(3) As someone already mentioned, Reb Volf said one should not talk until after birchas haTorah. I keep that to this day.
(4) Reb Volf said that one is not allowed to learn Torah Shebiksav - i.e. Chumash - without a hat, as it is disrespectful. He said that furthermore, one should not learn Tanya without a hat because that is the "Torah Shebiksav of Chassidus." I never learn Chumash or Tanya without a hat. It's become a habit.
(5) Reb Volf discouraged bochurim from learning anything that wasn't Chassidus before davening. He told me I should not even learn Rambam or Chumash before davening, only Chassidus! I have never rebelled.
(6) Reb Volf did not like it when people ate in a grub manner. He did not approve of bochurim eating with their hands, or breaking pieces of food with their hands. Moreover, he often strongly stressed the importance of not eating something that is bigger than a k'zayis - but rather everything should be cut up into pieces. For example, he said you are not allowed to eat a sandwich without first cutting into bite size pieces with a fork and knife. To this day I keep to that - even when eating a slice of pizza I think of Reb Volf!
(7) I must also make mention Reb Volf's passion for the mitzvah of giving loans. There were a few times I borrowed from his free loan fund. He would always say that it is a bigger mitzvah to pay back a loan than it is to lend it!
Reb Volf's influence on hundreds and hundreds will love on forever, biz der geula sheleima bikarov mamash!
Yerachmiel Forer
I saw your request on COL and I will write a couple of personal occurrences that I had the Zchus to have with Reb Volf when I learned in Montreal in the year 5749
1. He told me that when he was a bochur he was a big "letz" the friedike Rebbe once called him over and told him before he says anything he should think it over twice. His eyebrows went up as he said "since that day he never said anything without thinking twice".
2. once I was sitting in the Zal with my head down, he asked what's wrong? I said "ich hub a kup vaitug" with his quick wit he immediately responded "efsher it vail do hust aza groise masa oif dine kup" (I needed a haircut badly).
3. I was learning with Avremi Berns in early cheshvan and Reb Volf came into the Zal with his fur winter hat. Avremi called Reb Volf over to our table and told him he saw a sign that it will be a long cold winter, Reb Volf very excitedly told him to go on, what was the sign? He pointed to Reb Volf's hat and said that Reb Volf is already wearing his winter hat! Reb Volf laughed heartily and then told us to continue learning.
4. I witnessed him in the mikva admonishing some bocherim who were going to the mikva without taking a shower. He chased them in to the shower and told them they need to wash with soap and shampoo and that being chasidish also means being clean.
5. During evening seder I decided to review a letter from the Frierdike Rebbe that I had learned previously. The letter was the story of the alte rebbe's son Moshe, I had learnt it but couldn't find it (I probably wasn't even sure which Rebbe wrote it) So I was looking through some sefarim (igros) to see if I can find it. Reb Volf came over and asked what I was looking for. I told him a letter, he asked which letter? I told him it's the story of the Alte Rebbe's son Moshe and I think the frierdike Rebbe wrote it. His eyes lit up as he said not only do I know of this letter, the letter "iz geshriben tzu mir!" he had met a descendant of Moshe and told the frierdike Rebbe who wrote him a letter to give to this individual.
Please publish a book about him!
Yerachmiel Forer
1. He told me that when he was a bochur he was a big "letz" the friedike Rebbe once called him over and told him before he says anything he should think it over twice. His eyebrows went up as he said "since that day he never said anything without thinking twice".
2. once I was sitting in the Zal with my head down, he asked what's wrong? I said "ich hub a kup vaitug" with his quick wit he immediately responded "efsher it vail do hust aza groise masa oif dine kup" (I needed a haircut badly).
3. I was learning with Avremi Berns in early cheshvan and Reb Volf came into the Zal with his fur winter hat. Avremi called Reb Volf over to our table and told him he saw a sign that it will be a long cold winter, Reb Volf very excitedly told him to go on, what was the sign? He pointed to Reb Volf's hat and said that Reb Volf is already wearing his winter hat! Reb Volf laughed heartily and then told us to continue learning.
4. I witnessed him in the mikva admonishing some bocherim who were going to the mikva without taking a shower. He chased them in to the shower and told them they need to wash with soap and shampoo and that being chasidish also means being clean.
5. During evening seder I decided to review a letter from the Frierdike Rebbe that I had learned previously. The letter was the story of the alte rebbe's son Moshe, I had learnt it but couldn't find it (I probably wasn't even sure which Rebbe wrote it) So I was looking through some sefarim (igros) to see if I can find it. Reb Volf came over and asked what I was looking for. I told him a letter, he asked which letter? I told him it's the story of the Alte Rebbe's son Moshe and I think the frierdike Rebbe wrote it. His eyes lit up as he said not only do I know of this letter, the letter "iz geshriben tzu mir!" he had met a descendant of Moshe and told the frierdike Rebbe who wrote him a letter to give to this individual.
Please publish a book about him!
Yerachmiel Forer
Rabbi Schneur Zalman Rabin
One of the things Reb Volf would exhort us as bochurim was to be very careful in netilas yadayim with a towel etc.
Then he'd say one day I'l show you a picture I have of the Rebbe washing.
Eventually he brought to yeshiva and displayes it to us as if it was a most precious treasure!
Rabbi Sholom Ber Stock
We had the Zechus and Reb Volf stood in our house in Oak Park MI when he came for a wedding. One of the things he pointed out was that we shouldn't put things on the tops of the sefarim .. as they are in the bookshelf.. also i remember how he would on shabbos when he would want to put away his reading glasses and he would pick them up to put them a way.. on the way to place them in the shtendah.. he would open up a sefer to look at so that his moving the glasses would be for a use of them and not just to put them away even though it was כלי שמלאכתו להיתר לא רצה לטלטלו לצורך עצמו (של הכלי לשמירתו) בלבד אלא שיהי' גם לצורך של הכלי ושמישו וגופו.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Rabbi Eliezer Eidelman, Manchester England
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