Diary: Thursday, Sivan 16, 5737 (1977)

The diary is an excerpt from Mr. Jaffe’s forthcoming volume of ”My Encounter with the Rebbe, Volume 2″ at www.myencounter.com. Thank you to Rabbi Pinny Lew for sharing and publicizing these.

To read the Diary click the Extended Article!

A certain rich fellow insisted upon always having shelishi (the third aliyah) in his shul. Once he was accidentally called for the fourth; revii.

“What brocha,” he inquired, “does one make for revii?”

The principal reason why Shmuel and Hindy Lew had traveled from England to New York with (some of) their children was to be present when Yossi would have his first aliyah, making the brocha on the Torah, in the Rebbe’s presence.

When Shmuel visited Brooklyn six months previously, he had reserved an aliyah for this day. This was contingently agreed upon barring there being no kohen present, someone wishing to name his newly-born daughter, or make a mi-shebeirach for the birth of a boy.

On this Thursday morning, the gabbai arranged for the kohanim to be busy elsewhere. However, there were four fathers with new baby girls, two with boys, and there was another bar mitzvah boy but there were only two spare aliyas (besides the Rebbe’s one)!

After a great deal of worrying and fretting by Shmuel, it was decided that the two bar mitzvah boys would have the first two aliyas and the Rebbe, as always, would have the third.

On the previous evening, I asked Lou Tiffenbrun, who always carried his camera with him, if he would kindly take a photograph of Yossi having his aliyah. He flatly refused. He said he would never dare do such a thing in the Rebbe’s presence. Even after I pointed out how this picture would be an everlasting memento, he still refused. He did promise, however, to lend me his camera so I could take the picture myself – if I wanted to.

The next morning, before the Rebbe entered, Lou took some measurements, adjusted the focus and the lens, handed me the camera and told me to stand near the aron hakodesh. It was now up to me, all I had to do was press a button. If I was quick, I could even advance the film and take additional photographs.

Yossi was now called up to the Torah and made his brocha. His portion was “layenned” and he made the second brocha. Now was my opportunity. I held up the camera and looked through the aperture. Yes, it was a good picture. As quick as lightening, I pressed the button; nothing happened. I pressed again; again nothing. I advanced the film, rushed to Lou and asked him for an explanation. The Rebbe had by now himself been called to the Torah and was at the bimah already. I begged Lou to take the photograph. He refused and handed me back the camera, “try again,” he said. The Rebbe was about to make the second brocha. I lifted the camera. It seemed like a gorgeous picture in which I could see the Rebbe, Yossi, Shmuel and the other bar mitzvah boy with his father. I pressed the button and – in the silence of the moment – the ensuing resounding click was almost deafening. “Take another,” said Lou in a sibilant whisper, I dared not; that one was quite enough – even for me.

After returning to London, Lou had the film processed. There were some lovely photographs therein, but no sign of the one I had taken!

Lou decided to search through the negatives and lo and behold, there it was! It also seemed like it was quite a clear and good shot, but because I had taken this picture from a different angle than that intended, the light was somewhat compromised and the colors not up to the usual high standards. That negative was sent back for processing and, in my opinion – and as far as Yossi was concerned – the result was just fantastic. What a wonderful and permanent memento for a bar mitzvah boy.

I have shown this photograph to many people. Their first comment is always about the Rebbe. Their second is, “Oh, what a small Sefer Torah!” There is a story about that.

In the town of Slavita, Russia, there lived two brothers who had a printing business who in defiance of the local restrictive rules, published and distributed scores of religious Torah books.

Ultimately, they were jailed for many years. They felt that in any circumstance, a Jew aught to have a sefer Torah; even in prison. Their friends got together and wrote a miniature Torah that was smuggled into the jail, section by section.

Subsequently, the sefer Torah came into the possession of the third Rebbe of Lubavitch, the Tzemach Tzedek, and this heirloom now belongs to our own Rebbe.

Immediately following Yossi’a aliyah, we went to the downstairs shul in 770, where we had a l’chaim with the Rebbe’s vodka. Cake, herring, pickles and so forth were also offered. There were no knives with which to cut the cake and no forks for the herring. It was literally a smash and grab. In these chaotic conditions, Yossi was asked to once again recite the maamar. There were still a few hundred people davening and scattered around the shul.

Yossi deserves a medal for his concentration and purposeful manner in which he continued until the very end, in spite of all the interruptions and disruptions.