Weekly Story: I Took Care of What I Had To Do
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
As we just concluded Shavuos, where we vouched that our children will be taught the Torah and are a month before Yud Beis Tammuz, which happened because the Frierdiker Rebbe was insistent that young children be taught the Torah properly, I am posting an episode of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s life, which demonstrates the way he looked at educating every Jewish child. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Towards the end of Cheshvan of 5681 (1920), which was eight months after the histalkus of his father, the Rebbe Rayatz (as well as the rest of the family) contracted typhus, a severe, life-threatening disease.[1] For a number of days his temperature was extremely high[2] and his very life was in danger, with the doctor’s saying there is nothing they can do, besides praying for a miracle.[3] Boruch Hashem, a few days later the Rebbe Rayatz the fever broke and on Yud-Tes Kislev the crisis was over. When he recovered Shevat/Adar, he set out to fulfill the instructions that his father wrote in hi
When he completely recovered in Shevat/Adar, he set out to fulfill the instructions that his father wrote in his will. He sent Reb Yehudah Leib Karasik[4] to Moscow to review maamorim and to inspire the chassidim of the importance to learn Chassidus on a regular basis. Seeing the positive effects of this he began sending mashpi’im to numerous communities throughout Russia.[5] In most cases/instances, he instructed a mashpia, to visit the communities around him. However, in some cases he instructed individuals to settle in a new community.
In order to fund this he re-established, Kupas Raibeinu,[6] to pay for this expense. The Rebbe did not want to ask the participants to pay for the mashpia’s travel expenses, as then a few of them might decide, I won’t show up and I won’t have to pay.[7]
That summer the doctors noticed that while he recuperated, nevertheless his body wasn’t completely healed. So they instructed him to go to the hot and mineral springs in Kislovodsk, in the Caucasus Mountains. When he arrived there he met with a group of local Jews and discussed with them about the importance of giving their children a proper chinuch. During the next few days, he gathered with many Jews of the community and spoke with them about the necessity to establish a cheder for their children.
He then informed his Rebbetzin that he is preparing to return to Rostov. The Rebbetzin was shocked and said, “But you weren’t in the hot springs even once / one time! We made this long trip because you need to be in the hot springs!”
The Rebbe replied, “My mission here was to encourage the townspeople to establish a cheder. Boruch Hashem that was accomplished. However, I had no plans on coming here, so Hashem made the doctors instruct me to come here to use the hot springs, and now that I took care of the real reason of mine being here, we can go home as there is no need to stay any longer.”[8]
Last Shabbos I heard the following thought from Rabbi Mangel sheyichye.
Hashem instructed Moshe to count Shevat Levi, from thirty days of age. Moshe replied, how am I supposed to know how many children are in the family? Hashem replied, go to the tent and I will inform you.
The question becomes, If Hashem is informing Moashe how many children are in the house, why does Moshe have to go to each tent individually?
But the answer is, because the Torah is eternal. WE all have that same question as Moshe. We would love to join a shiur, do a certain function for the community, and so on. But then we stop in our tracks and say, But I can’t do it, it is beyond my abilities.
So Hashem’s answer is just as he told Moshe, you begin doing it, and I will then remove the obstacles that are in your way.
May everyone have a gezunte summer.
During every Shavuos farbrengen the Rebbe would emphasize the importance of learning the shiurim of Chitas, (Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya).
Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mecanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com
[1] Author’s note: The Rebbe Rashab was nistalek after he contracted this dreaded disease.
[2] The Rebbe’s fever reached 42 degrees Celsius (which is 107.6 Fahrenheit),
[3] Ashkavta D’Rebbe, p. 128.
[4] Author’s note, he is my maternal grandfather.
[5] Some of them are: Reb Eliyahu Eber was sent to Vitebsk and its nearby towns, Reb Shmuel Bezpalov was sent to Charkov, Reb Shlomo Chaim Kesselman was sent to===, Reb Avrohom Boruch Pewzner was sent to Minsk, Reb Hillel Liberow was sent to Orsha and Reb Nochum Sossonkin was sent to the distant Caucasian Mountains and then to Georgia.
[6] Author’s note: I wrote reestablished, as the Rebbe Rashab had a fund called Kupas al Dahti, a fund according to the Rebbe’s discretion, so I believe this was the same thing just with a different name.
[7] Igros Kodesh vol. =====
[8] Yahudus Hadimumuh, p. 41.
