A Letter To Anash, From a Fellow Chossid

Dear brothers and sisters of Anash,

As we all journey through this incredibly painful era of Covid-19, I’d like to share with you something that really helped me get through Pesach in a very positive, even uplifting, spirit.

On the first day of Yom Tov as I looked through my Seforim bookcases, seeking something refreshing to read, I realized that JEM’s “Early Years 1” had been sitting on the shelf for a few years and I haven’t read it. So, I sat down on the couch with this book authored by Rabbis Boruch Oberlander and Elkanah Shmotkin and became totally engrossed in the fascinating life story of our dear Rebbe. Over the next week, I literally traveled back to the Rebbe’s childhood in Nikolayev, the Rebbe’s youth in Yaktrinoslav, the Rebbe’s courting by the Friediker Rebbe over years in Riga, Rostov, Leningrad and of course the Rebbe’s Chasuna in Warsaw. It was so eye opening, so helpful in understanding who our beloved Rebbe is, so heartwarming to see the relationships of the Rebbe and his uncles/aunts/cousins and gives a whole new appreciation to Yud Alef Nissan, Chai Nissan, Yud Beis Tammuz and Yud Daled Kislev.

If I was a Mechanech in a Mesivta/Mechina I would have each of my students read this as part of Seder and I will certainly do my best to share its content with my children and have them read it on their own when they reach the appreciate age to grasp its depth. We all know how blessed we are to have a beloved Rebbe such as ours, but knowing his and the rebbetzins recorded history, was truly inspiring for me, which is why I share this with you today.

After reading it, it also became clear to me why the Chassidim of the Friediker Rebbe knew immediately after Yud Shevat that the Rebbe was the new Rebbe; they simply lived through the history of the Rebbe/Friediker Rebbe/Rebbe Rashab and knew the dynamic of their interactions; it was obvious.

If you’d like to lift your mind off the mourning and suffering, if you’d like to spend next Shabbos or the one after that in a different place, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, buy this book and you’ll be glad you did.

https://www.jemstore.com/EarlyYears_p/early-years.htm or https://amzn.to/3aoueVw

I don’t work for JEM nor am I related to the authors; it simply blew me away and wanted others to have the same joy!

A Freilichen Voch

Chaim Shaul Bruk
Bozeman, Montana