Weekly Story: Yud Bais Tammuz Tidbits

by Rabbi Sholom Avtzon

I would like to note a few interesting points that I heard during farbrengens on Yud Beis and Yud Gimmel Tammuz. Some of them are somewhat known, and one of them I heard for the first time.

As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed.

I heard from Reb Chaim Shaul Brook that Reb Meir Itkin a”h once related that on Monday night, the 14th of Sivan, the night before the Frierdiker Rebbe was arrested, the phone rang in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s apartment and a friend of Nachmanson asked to speak with the Rebbe.

The Rebbe was informed of the call, and he replied that he was not taking the call. The lady then asked if at least they would give over the following message to which they answered yes.

She then said, “The Rebbe should be aware that tomorrow night they are coming to arrest him. He has twenty-four hours to leave his residence. [Evidently, she was implying that if he goes somewhere else and does not publicize where he is, they won’t search for him.]

The Rebbe was informed of this message and replied, “Schneersohn doesn’t hide and Schneersohn doesn’t run.” [Surprisingly, this he said in Russian, but while he was in prison he refused to respond in Russian and even told his Jewish interrogators that they should address him in Yiddish].

One of the people who heard this was shocked. Since he would sometimes visit Rebbetzin Nechoma Dina, he asked her if it was true. She replied that she remembers that call, and it was exactly as Reb Meir said.

Once we are mentioning how Nachmanson’s friend forewarned the Rebbe and wanted to help him, I will mention how Nachmanson himself helped.

As is known, on that night they arrested many other individuals, and almost all of them were shot shortly after being brought to prison. This was their plan with the Rebbe as well, but one miracle after another protected him.

However, the chassidim didn’t know if the Rebbe was still alive, and therefore they tried to get influential people of Russia aboard to intervene. They instructed Nachmanson’s father, who was a chassidishe Jew from Nevel, to travel to Leningrad. He sent a message to his son that he would like to meet him in the park.

He bought a newspaper and sat on the park bench waiting for his son. He obviously made believe that he was reading the newspaper. When he noticed his son pass by, without lifting his head he said in a hush tone, “Ehr Leibt?” – is the Rebbe alive?

His son without slowing down replied, “Leibt” – he is alive and disappeared.

The decrees of the Yevsektzia began shortly after the Frierdiker Rebbe became Rebbe. He describes how they interrogated him a few times before this arrest. The question was, was this halachically considered a time of Shmad – assimilation against the Jewish people, or was it something else as it applied to all citizens equally? Most Rabbonim felt it was not a time of Shmad, and therefore those who were able to leave or escape from Russia did so.

I heard that one of the students of the Chofetz Chaim wrote that he heard from the Chofetz Chaim that he regrets his decision of leaving Russia as the Lubavitcher Rebbe was correct. It was a time of Shmad, and therefore he should have remained and had Mesiras Nefesh for Judaism. A similar sentiment was expressed by Reb Elchonon Wasserman. (If someone knows the source of this, I would appreciate it.)

I relistened to a recording of Rabbi Dovid Edelman a”h, who was a shliach in Springfield, Massachusetts for over sixty years. He was very close to the Rabinowitz family. He related as follows:

In 5670 (1910) which was four years before the outbreak of WWI, the Rebbe Rashab called in five chassidim. Reb Zalman Havlin was instructed to go to Eretz Yisroel and build there a branch of Tomchei Tmimim. His mission was to revitalize the spirit of chassidim there. He settled in Chevron, and together with a small group of students that traveled with him, he opened a branch which the Rebbe instructed to call Toras Emes.

He then turned to three other chassidim, (Rabbi Edelman didn’t mention their names and I don’t recall them, although I once read an article about this. If someone knows who they are I would appreciate it) and instructed them to settle in three major cities in Russia. Their responsibility was to build a Jewish infrastructure of shechita, mikvaos, and obviously shuls and chadorim.

The Rebbe then said to them that this is extremely urgent, as shortly thousands upon thousands of Jews would be settling there. The chassidim were astounded, wondering how that was going to be, when the rule was that no Jew was allowed to live in the big cities without a special permit. These special permits were difficult to obtain as the officials approved only very few.

Yet the Rebbe said so, so without questioning they each moved to their designated destination and did as the Rebbe requested. At the onset of WWI, the Russian government made a decree, that all the Jews that lived near the border (even if they were a few miles from the border), have twenty-four hours to vacate themselves. Those that had a place to go went. The remainder were loaded onto wagons and dropped off in the center of the large cities. They were left there to fend for themselves.

Only then did they understand the Rebbe’s foresight of some years ago. This foresight is called a nevuah – prophecy.
The Rebbe Rashab then addressed Reb Dovid Moshe Rabinowitz. He told him he was supposed to (or perhaps his mission is to) settle in America. This was more shocking than the instructions he gave to the previous chassidim. The Rebbe had told numerous people not to move to America. Although he wasn’t considering it, the Rebbe instructed him to do so. As a chossid, he obeyed and settled in Springfield.

Little did he know that here too, the Rebbe did it with nevuah. How was he supposed to know that the Rebbe Rashab was preparing for seventeen years later?

Reb Dovid Moshe had a son Peretz, who was nine years old when the Rebbe instructed the family to move to America. Peretz became a lawyer and became a personal friend to Justice Brandeis of the United States Supreme Court.

As soon as Rabinowitz heard that the Frierdiker Rebbe was arrested, he sent his son to ask Justice Brandeis to intercede with the Russian Government and help save the Rebbe. So the Rebbe Rashab sent Rabinowitz in order that his son Peretz (Oscar) should be instrumental in saving the Rebbe’s son seventeen years later.

After his release from prison, the Chassidim knew that the Rebbe won’t be safe if he remains in Russia. Therefore, they began working tirelessly to pressure the Communist regime to allow him to leave. One of the leading people in this endeavor was the chossid Reb Mordechai Dubin hy”d. He used his position as a Latvian parliamentarian to pressure the officials to agree. He informed the Rebbe of his negotiations and was shocked to hear that the Rebbe was insisting on remaining in Russia.

Only after he spoke to the Rebbe’s mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, and she spoke with the Rebbe, did he agree. He said, “I came to the conclusion that I can be of greater assistance from abroad than if I remain.”

I will conclude with a saying of our Rebbe. On Shabbos, the 17th of Tammuz, the Rebbe noted that once after Shavuos, the Frierdiker Rebbe explained to his secretary Reb Chadsha Feigin that he didn’t reply to letters as he is still on Har Sinai. The Rebbe then said, and I am still by Yud Beis Tammuz.

May everyone be freed and redeemed from their straits.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their Chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.