Story: A Lesson from Borsht
The following story was transcribed in the diary of Rabbi Nissan Mindel, OBM, a secretary of the Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe. His son-in-law, Rabbi Sholom Ber Schapiro, was kind enough to share it with our readers.
The story took place during a Yom Tov day meal of the Frierdiker Rebbe, during which he was accompanied by several of his Chasidim, on one of the days of Pesach in the mid 1940s.
The Rebbe (known as the RaMaSh at the time) was sitting to the Frierdiker Rebbe’s left and the RaShaG (the other son-in-law) was on the right – together with about a minyan of Chasidim around the table eating. (The Rebbe would continue to sit in this same place for many years after the Frierdiker Rebbe’s histalkus, with the chair of the Frierdiker Rebbe at the head).
Rabbi Nissan Mindel was among the Chasidim at that meal; he wrote the following story in his diary:
Present at the time of the meal, as was usually the case, were also yungerleit and bochurim, who stood in the room during the meal and observed and listened.
One of the guests eating at the table was a non-Chabadnick who, not accustomed to the chabad minhagim, dipped his matzah into the bowl of borsht. The yungerleit and the bochurim in the room were horrified at this infraction and started somewhat of a commotion – which eventually reached the attention of the Frierdiker Rebbe.
The Frierdiker Rebbe asked R’ Shmuel Levitin, OBM, what the commotion was about. When R’ Shmuel found out and conveyed the details of this incident to the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Frierdiker Rebbe turned to the yungerleit and bochurim and with a serious expression said: “Ess is besser tzu machen di matzah reit, vit dem ponim reit.” “It is preferable to make the Matzah red, than to make one’s face red.”
“I see in this simple story a great meaning for us all,” said Rabbi Sholom Ber Schapiro, “something we can learn from and live with at all times. Each and every one of us should certainly take this to heart, especially now in the season of our ge’ula, and see this as the key to our speedy and final redemption.”
Yossi Z
Thank you, beautiful story.
NW
NICE LESSON
so inspiring
AMAZING! What a touching story. How the Friedike Rebbe felt for another jew. What a beautiful story, and yes, let us all take that as a lesson for all. This will surely bring the Geulah closer
Thank you Rabbi Schapiro for sharing .
A kasher and freilichin Pesach to all
Beautiful story
A perfect message for me to hear at this time of year.
Yankel
Sad: the clip above gets 22 responses, and a deep insight for our daily living by the Friedike Rebbe gets a measly three.
Milhouse
Bad choice of illustration for this story. While illustrators (whether creating their own or choosing something that already exists) have a certain license in interpreting the story, they have to remain consistent with it. Since it was a yomtov meal at the Rebbe’s home, the reader can be certain that it was fleishig, so the borsht in question could not have looked like the one in the illustration.
Kop Mentch
To paraphrase: “Ess is besser tzu machen di photo milchig, vit dem fleish foon radactor.” “It is preferable to make the picture milchig, than to make the editor fleishig.”
I think the entire message went right over Milhouse’s comprehension.
Kop Mentch
Tolerance and sensitivity to the imperfections of others, whether the borcht eater or the photo editor, neither should be criticized in a manner that could “make them red” in painful embarrassment. That is the message. Milhouse, you failed!
Needs to be publicized
Many years ago, I brought my sister to Crown Heights for the sedarim. While we were eating at the home of a married friend, she inadvertently passed a piece of matzo over an empty glass. A small crumb fell in. With great “ceremony” our host quickly removed the glass from the table, placed it on top of his refrigerator and exclaimed that he “wouldn’t be able to use the glass any more.”
Needless to say, my sister reminds me of the story almost yearly. Who knows where she would have been today without that unfortunate incident….