by Rabbi Sholom Avtzon

Weekly Story: He Indeed Came for Rosh Hashanah

This week we celebrated the Yom Tov of Yud-Tes Kislev, which is known as Chag Hageulah, Chag Hachagim and Rosh Hashanah L’Chassidus.

In one of the farbrengens I participated, I heard the following story from Reb Zalman Lipsker of Philadelphia:

It was Elul of 5719 (1959) and he received a letter from his father who was then living in Lod, Eretz Yisroel, stating  that he had applied for a visa in order to come to the Rebbe for Rosh Hashanah.

Reb Zalman comtinued, “In those days an application for an American visa from Eretz Yisroel, could be approved in a few days, but sometimes it took weeks and even months. So i wrote to the Rebbe informing him that my father applied and he hopes to arrive before Rosh Hashanah.

The Rebbe underlined to arrive for Rosh Hashanah and added his brocha with the words of azkir al hatzion. Receiving this answer i and my brother were positive that our father is arriving, and being that the Lubavitch community in Lod had only one phone, which was in the Yeshiva, it was extremely difficult to speak with my parents. But nevertheless me and my brother were so confidant in the Rebbe’s brocha that we would go to the airport to pickup our father.

But we were disappointed, Rosh Hashanah came, Yom Kippur came and even Simchas Torah came and passed, but father did not arrive. What could I do?

Reb Zalman continued; My birthday is around Yud-Tes Kislev, so the week before my birthday, I went into the Rebbe’s room for a yechidus. As everyone knows, the yechidus for a bochur’s yom holedes was a very short one, a minute or two at the most.

After the Rebbe responded to what I wrote, i was about to leave his room, when the Rebbe suddenly said to me; “We were notified that your father received his visa and is coming in for Yud-Tes Kislev. you should go to the office of the mazkirus (secretariat) and they will inform you on which flight he is arriving.

The Rebbe then said, “We were discussing that he should be coming for Rosh Hashanah, [and he is].

May this year be the year when the knowledge of Hashem covers the earth…. with the coming of Moshiach tzidkeinu!