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Although she avoided the public limelight, the Rebbetzin shared her husband's dedication to his work. Sometimes, when she least expected it, the Rebbe's work had a way of entering her private life, as shown here in the following encounter. Indeed, the Rebbetzin not only shared the Rebbe's passion for outreach, but his special power, the Following is an excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe www.inspiringageneration.com

"The Rebbetzin waited in line as usual at the Manhattan library she frequently visited. When she got to the front desk, she presented her library card, along with the book to check out.

The librarian, blasé with routine, took the card and placed it under the check-out scanner.

Mrs. Schneerson. Are you related to the famous Rebbe in Brooklyn?

Although she avoided the public limelight, the Rebbetzin shared her husband’s dedication to his work. Sometimes, when she least expected it, the Rebbe’s work had a way of entering her private life, as shown here in the following encounter. Indeed, the Rebbetzin not only shared the Rebbe’s passion for outreach, but his special power, the Following is an excerpt from the new book on the Rebbe www.inspiringageneration.com

“The Rebbetzin waited in line as usual at the Manhattan library she frequently visited. When she got to the front desk, she presented her library card, along with the book to check out.

The librarian, blasé with routine, took the card and placed it under the check-out scanner.

Then she glanced more closely. “Mrs.Schneerson. Are you related to the famous Rebbe in Brooklyn?”

The Rebbetzin said she was.

“Oh really,” said the librarian, with great interest. “How?”

“He is my husband,” the Rebbetzin answered, simply.

Suddenly the librarian let loose a litany of complaints. “Do you know I went to see your husband two years ago?” she cried.

“No,” the Rebbetzin answered.

The librarian described the visit. Having no children, she had managed, with much effort, to come to Crown Heights to ask for a blessing for a child.

“The Rebbe blessed me and said I need to commit to some mitzvah,” she explained, “since a blessing is like rain and needs a vessel to hold it. I told the Rebbe I would light candles Friday night.” Her voice rose. “Well, two years have gone by and I’m still without a child.”

Discomfited at this outburst, the Rebbetzin tried to calm her down. “I don’t have children either,” she replied.

The librarian burst into tears. “I’m sorry, but I’m a Holocaust survivor. I was in concentration camps and I am the sole survivor of my family. That’s why it’s so important for me to have children, so that the family will live on.”

Carefully the Rebbetzin asked, “What exactly did my husband say to you?”

“He said I should light Shabbos candles.”

“And are you doing so?”

“Yes!”

“And how do you do it?”

The librarian answered earnestly, “Rebbetzin, every Friday night I light candles when my husband comes home from work, around seven or eight o’clock.”

At last it dawned on the Rebbetzin why the Rebbe’s blessing had failed. “Shabbos candles must be lit before sunset.” Quietly the Rebbetzin explained the concept of the eighteen minutes of candle lighting time and suggested, “Commit to lighting the Shabbos candles properly.”

The librarian agreed, and ten months later she had a son. She continued to keep in touch with the Rebbetzin and even visited her on occasion.”

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15 Comments

  • Chaim

    “took the card and placed it under the check-out scanner.”

    lol, there was no such thing as a scanner back then.

  • TO CHAIM

    As far back as i can remember (30 years) – the Public Library had a scanning device (not like today’s scanners) to keep track of their books

  • validate story.

    This story needs to be validated. The Rebbetzin worked at the 42nd street library. Something doesn’t add up.

  • To Chaim - about the good old days

    “As far back as i can remember (30 years)-the Public Library had a scanning device (not like today’s scanners) to keep track of their books.”

    I can remember a machine that took some sort of picture- of an envelope which had the basic info about the book inside the book and your card and a due date card at least 46 years ago. (In the early ’60s – that is 19-60s.) (How else would they have kept up with all of my transgressions?!!)

    But I also remember that the Rebbetzin worked at that library. However, it is a large library and it could have been in a different section.

  • ml

    To validate story:

    “The Rebbetzin waited in line as usual at the Manhattan library she frequently ”visited”.

    Visited.

  • those were the days my friend

    as far back as I recall, and that is a long time, we were always told the rebbetzin worked at the Manhattan library. (though the exact words were ‘she had an office at the library’)
    in days of yore, they took some sort of picture of the library card in the back of the book together with your library card.