Rebbetzin Chana’s Memoirs: My Son Visits Every Day
In this 34th installment of the series, Rebbetzin Chana describes the tremendous respect her son, the Rebbe, shows toward her, and what his daily visits mean to her.
My son visits me every day
My son, long may he live, about whom I have written above, has just left my home. He visits me daily—may it do me no harm to mention it, as women are wont to say—and twice on Friday. He makes my life much better and, as they say here [in America], makes me feel better.
My apartment where I am now is not very large. It so happens that during the time he sits here with me, the room seems to be much bigger!
During his visits, I don’t at all feel many things that I find unpleasant, and under the inspiration of his noble devotion and sublime greatness, I manage to live with them until his next visit 24 hours later.
It pains me only to notice when he doesn’t feel well and is very fatigued, although he tries very hard to conceal it from me. First of all, he works very hard. Besides that, he often experiences issues on which his pure sincerity of character is incapable and unwilling to compromise, troubling him greatly and disturbing his calm disposition. Only his great mind enables him to overcome these feelings.
I pray to G d to strengthen his health for long life.
Appointed “Minister of Culture”
I recall the time before our son left home. It was almost twenty years before I saw him again.
The Rebbe, of sainted memory, who later became our son’s father-in-law, immediately recognized his special qualities. [After meeting him] he almost never let him out of his sight, always calling on him to come to him for some important purpose or another. The Rebbe said he was appointing him as his “Minister of Culture” and he delegated to him many issues that called for Torah scholarship and secular knowledge to bring to fruition.
“I won’t find such a son-in-law there!”
When the Rebbe was permitted to leave the USSR in 1927, he submitted a list of those for whom he requested an exit visa to accompany him. The list included my son, M.M., long may he live. For each one on the list individually, the Rebbe gave a reason for his request—a reason the Soviet government officials had to find satisfactory.
When they came to his request for our son, however, they asked the Rebbe why he needed him. He replied that he wanted him as a son-in-law, to marry his daughter. “Do you really need to bring even a son-in-law from here?” they asked, to which the Rebbe replied firmly, “I won’t find such a son-in-law there!”
The eve of Tisha B’Av [the fast of 9 Av]
I am reminded, unintentionally, of an eve of Tishah B’Av [the fast of 9 Av] when many guests were present at our pre-fast meal [in Yekaterinoslav], which was held in such a friendly, intimate atmosphere.
In contrast, I recall another such occasion, when just my husband and I were alone in our mud hut, where conditions were very far from good, but we didn’t feel any loneliness.
Now, however, that my son—long may he live in good health and accompanied by success—is becoming increasingly busy with more responsibility, I don’t have the heart to take up his time. And other than him, I have nothing.
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