The Rashag’s Hiskashrus to the Rebbe – Part 2

The Inside Story of Chabad in America — Through the Mindel Archives

Welcome to our weekly program, The Inside Story of Chabad in America, through the Mindel Archives.

Last week I mentioned that this week is the second program on the Rashag. We're dedicating last week and this week to the memory of HaRav HaChassid Reb Shmaryahu Gurary — this is around his yahrzeit — he passed away, and this program is a continuation of last week's program, on his hiskashrus to the Rebbe, which we spoke about last week. We mentioned that we have letters here that he wrote, and that the Rebbe answered. Maybe I'll share with you some letters here.

I have a letter — you know, he had stationery, stationery like this. This is a letter he wrote; he used to write like this. These are letters from the house — yes, for people, for aliyah, and for people that have parnassah problems, people [needing] brachos for children. It was very [unclear], and he signs it... he signs it [unclear].

He also left — he gave the Rebbe a copy — he left a tzavaah [will] and his nechasim [possessions], and they saw a will. This is handwritten, and — I'm not going to go through the whole will — but in the will he left everything to his work. [Something] was written, and this my father-in-law, Rabbi Mindel, translated into English. He passed away, and the Rebbe writes here:

"This is for the dinner of the [United Lubavitcher Yeshivos]. This year's annual dinner is taking place within the shloshim of the passing of my esteemed brother-in-law, Rabbi Shmaryahu Gurary, of blessed memory, lifetime chairman of the executive committee of the United Lubavitcher Yeshivos, appointed by my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of saintly memory. From the first day that the central yeshiva was transplanted onto American soil, nearly fifty years ago, as is well known, the deceased carried out this assignment with real dedication and success. With G-d's help, obviously the niftar would not have wished the annual dinner of the United Lubavitcher Yeshivos to be postponed because of his physical absence, and indeed his spiritual [presence] is even more soulfully present now. It is now certainly a source of great satisfaction for the soul to see its deeds in this world carried on, and even more than before, after it can no longer perform them directly by itself."

This is the letter that the Rebbe wrote after the histalkus of the Rashag.

There are also letters here that people sent, and that the Rebbe answered. This is the answer from the Rebbe, on behalf of the Lubavitch community and in his own name: "I thank you for your kind expression of condolence on the passing of my esteemed brother-in-law, Rabbi Shmaryahu Gurary, of blessed memory. Your thoughtful sentiments are sincerely appreciated." The Rebbe gives them a brachah about the Rashag.

There's also another letter here: "I thank you for your kind expression of condolence on the passing of my esteemed brother-in-law... who consoles Zion and rebuilds Jerusalem, bring true consolation to us and to all His people Israel," and so it goes on.

And then there is a letter from people in Mexico, and the Rebbe answers. The Rebbe writes that since [the passing], it was through [the Rashag's] merit — he was head of Tomchei Temimim, which was established by his father, the Rebbe Rashab — and now that the Rashag [has passed], it is through his merits that the students grow and become like lights, lights to enlighten. Today the Tmimim and the shluchim are doing the same thing, and even more than before. Before, the Rebbe writes, his achrayus [responsibility] toward the talmidim was more limited, because he was limited in body, but now it is even more [far-reaching], more than before, and through the thousands of talmidim who are learning Chassidus and spreading Yiddishkeit on his behalf, everything grows even more than before. This is what the Rebbe writes.

Now here I have — the Frierdiker Rebbe asked Rabbi Mindel to translate into English the last [piece] that he wrote here in his own handwriting — very interesting. I'm just going to read one paragraph: "I am speaking of Torah in general, and this is especially appropriate for Tomchei Temimim, which is an old institution founded by my saintly father, the Rebbe Rashab. With tears in his eyes he prayed that the institution flourish, in the merit of the saintly ancestors, and that the students be provided for materially and flourish spiritually, and that the supporters of this institution and their families be blessed with material and spiritual blessings. His blessing is being fulfilled at all times" — the whole thing, but I'm not going to read the whole thing.

And then the Frierdiker Rebbe, in his own handwriting, writes: "And this is my son-in-law, HaRav Shmaryahu Gurary." So we can see that he was a source of grace [unclear].

Now, talking about his yahrzeit, I want to — also, what the Rebbe said, that everything a person does in this world, he also does in the other world. So I just want to share with you a story, and maybe I mentioned it once: my father-in-law, Rabbi Mindel, lived in Long Beach, Long Island, and he davened in the Young Israel.

Now, talking about Young Israel, I think we should have a few programs on this — the Rebbe wrote to the rabbonim of Young Israel about the entire [matter] of Young Israel, that the Rebbe said every Young Israel shul should have a mikveh, because "Young Israel" means the young people, so the young people need a mikveh nearby. Anyways, that's a topic for a couple of programs by itself.

There was a Young Israel in Long Beach. People came to daven every day — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. After davening, already dressed and ready, they went to catch the train, to take the Long Island Railroad to go to Manhattan to work. What did they do? They took their tallis and tefillin and just put them down on the bench, just like that, and left.

Now, Rabbi Mindel stayed extra after everybody left. First of all, he stayed because [his own davening took longer]. And also he stayed even extra — you know, he was a very meticulous person. He said it's not good to leave the tallis and tefillin like that. And he was not the chazzan, he was not the gabbai, but he went to every seat and put the tallis and tefillin back on the shelf.

So there was somebody — a man named Willie Wolf [?] — who came over to Rabbi Mindel and said, "Listen, you are the Rebbe's personal secretary — imagine, you are a very busy man. You have time every day to put away the tallis and tefillin? You have time for that?"

So Rabbi Mindel mentioned this once. And when he went to take dictation — you know, he took dictation for all the letters for the Rebbe, I mean most of the letters, he took dictation — he told the Rebbe that this man had spoken to him about Young Israel, that every day, every day, he stays an extra fifteen minutes. So the Rebbe told him: "Whatever you do in this world, you do in the other world. You're meticulous in this world, you're meticulous there. You put away the tallis and tefillin here, you put it away there."

So this is one story I wanted to bring. Another story I want to tell — and this I heard from Rabbi Leibel Groner — the Rebbe, in 1953 or '54, after the Rebbe became Rebbe, went to be menachem avel the Satmar Rebbe — I think it was in Williamsburg, I'm not sure — he [the Satmar Rebbe] had lost his [unclear — daughter/mother].

As you know, the Satmar Rebbe had come to the Rebbe to be menachem avel when his — [unclear] — had passed away. Anyway, when the Rebbe came to visit this Admor, they were talking, and there was somebody, Rabbi Kotler [?], sitting on the side. The Rebbe turns to the Satmar Rebbe and says, "What are you saying? What are you talking about? Let me hear." So the Satmar Rebbe tells Rabbi Kotler, "[unclear], it's not for you, this is [a private matter]." He was being discreet.

So then the Satmar Rebbe asked the Rebbe: "Why do you say 'Makom'? It's a name for G-d, but why 'Makom'? Hashem has so many names — why the word 'Makom'?" He wanted to know.

So the Rebbe told him — I heard this from Rabbi Groner — that every Yid has good deeds, and every Yid has a makom, a place, in this world. "Makom" means Hashem, but "makom" also means place. Every Yid has a place. That place is not here, because the person, the niftar, is not here — before, the person was in a guf, a body, and his achrayus was limited. Now that we come to be menachem, that place — we see now what that person accomplished in this world. That "makom" [remains] — that's why you say the word. There's no emptiness.

Anyways, this is what I wanted to tell you. Why does it mention the word "yeshiva"? "Yeshiva" means sitting, that's all it means — to sit. And by the way, in many places people stand while learning — it's a mitzvah that each one has a seat, but they still stand and learn, naturally. But why is it called "yeshiva"?

So the Rebbe answers like this — I wrote down what he wrote, in English: "Yeshiva means hatmashah, a settlement — something that is embedded in the students for life. This is called yeshiva." So what a yeshiva accomplishes is for life — that's what's called settlement. And the fact is that where they learn, and where they learn Chassidus, and from there go out as shluchim, they spread Yiddishkeit throughout the world.

Until 120 — this is the credit that we should see, because of Moshiach, because we bring Hashem['s revelation closer]. Next week we'll continue our Thursday night program. Thank you.