The Memo of a Meeting With the Rebbe During Av 5748

The Memo of a Meeting With the Rebbe During Av 5748

Welcome to our weekly program, the Inside Story of Chabad in America, through the Mindel Archives. First of all, I have regards from Eretz Yisroel - I was visiting there for a few weeks, and in a future episode I will share with you some fascinating experiences that I had there. But today I want to share with you something that is not well known - I haven't heard people speak about it, it's not familiar - and there are a lot of cases like this one. I'm going to read to you a memo that Rabbi Mindel wrote, and Rabbi Hodakov signed it also. It's written in Hebrew, and I will translate that into English.

But before I do that, I want to say: after the Rebbetzin passed away, there was a shinuy - a change - in the hanhogo. First of all, the Rebbe's name is the same as the Tzemach Tzedek's name, and the Rebbe is also the same name as the Rebbe who came after the Tzemach Tzedek. So when the Tzemach Tzedek passed away, about six years later there was [unclear], and there was a shinuy, a difference, in the hanhogo. And we see the same thing by our Rebbe: that from the time the Rebbetzin passed away until Gimmel Tammuz, there was a shinuy in the Rebbe's hanhogo, and that's also about the same amount of time - six years.

And this is well known. For example, the Rebbe used to have a farbrengen every Yom Tov - all the time, every Yom Tov - not all the time later on, but in the beginning that was the pattern. Later, before the Rebbetzin's passing, there were farbrengens many times during the week as well. And after the Rebbetzin passed away, he stopped - only on Shabbos. So that was a big shinuy.

There was also a change regarding the michtavim klolim, the communal letters. Rabbi Mindel used to go to the Rebbe and take dictation, and he composed the letters - the Hebrew letters, the English letters. He mentioned once that he had a hard time, because the Rebbe was very, very careful - every letter had to be meduyak, precise - and sometimes he didn't understand, so he'd rather look it over again. But anyway, there were michtavim klolim. After the Rebbetzin passed away, there was no more dictation of the michtavim klolim in the way it had been - what I mean is, there wasn't, and yet there was. Rabbi Groner writes here - I have it here - that the Rebbe told him he should base it on the previous letter's content, but he should always ask Rabbi Mindel to look it over, or ask [unclear]. He said that always happened, but the Rebbe did not dictate the letters to him the way he used to before the Rebbetzin passed away. That was a big shinuy.

This is all a preparation for [what I want to say]: the Rebbe used to go to the Ohel - maybe I'll discuss this another time - and after the Rebbetzin passed away, the Rebbe went to the Ohel very, very often - maybe even almost every day, or every other day, but very often. There was a big shinuy. Years before, we saw the last Sukkos before the Rebbe had the stroke, when the Rebbe stood in the sukkah and everybody came in [unclear] again, and everybody was watching, and everybody received dollars - maybe then, probably three, four o'clock - it never happened so late before. This [unclear].

What I'm going to tell you now is not well known, and this is what the Rebbe said in the month of Menachem Av - that's why I want to mention it this month - and it's something which is not well-known. An episode that didn't materialize - I don't know why. Here is the memo that I'm going to read to you, that Rabbi Mindel wrote and also [Rabbi Hodakov] signed.

This is what they had, by the Ohel: "Today, the 18th of Menachem Av, 1988, after Mincha, the Rebbe called us" - meaning Rabbi Mindel - "into his room, and he appointed us to carry out in action what he spoke in the Ohel." This is translated from the Hebrew that Rabbi Mindel wrote, and it's the first opportunity [to write it down] after going to the Ohel. The Rebbe said - he writes - "in order not to waste time, we should publicize the discussion through the telephone" - meaning, in those days there was no WhatsApp, there was no internet; the only thing there was, was fax or telephone - "and use all possible means to advertise what the Rebbe spoke," to Rabbi Mindel, to get the message to the entire world right away, before he goes to the Ohel. That's what the Rebbe told them: all instructors and communal leaders should carry it out in action, to appoint three people in every community or city, to send a report to the Vaad - I'll translate that as the international committee for increased activity, which Rabbi Hodakov and Rabbi Mindel [headed] - "do not send that report to the Rebbe, and do not send it to the mazkirim" - there were all the secretaries, Rabbi Klein, Rabbi Groner, Rabbi Simpson [and others] - "do not send to them, only to both of you" - what the Rebbe told them - "and establish an address," meaning not to send it to 770.

This was, I guess, after the Rebbe came back from the Ohel: the committee should oversee and be on top of it, to see the increase, totally, in mitzvos, in learning, and in action, and the three people that [the committee] will appoint should give a report to Rabbi Mindel and to Rabbi Hodakov. This was in Menachem Av of 1988.

"A few times a year, the designated heads should gather, to discuss their activities and their progress, in order to strengthen each other, by giving a report of the past and a program for the future, with increased vitality, and with increased, continuous increase, entirely, in mitzvos, and great enthusiasm, and publicize it." And the Rebbe wants to know the names of the cities, and the names of the three people that they chose in each place - everyone wants to have their name mentioned - which we will mention maybe next time, not today.

This is what was spoken about: "Since from Chamisha Asar b'Av onward the nights start to become longer, we should add - in the vein of all the Taryag mitzvos - to be me'orer, to awaken, Jews, to command all Jews in our generation to spread [Torah and mitzvos], and to be like a lamplighter who lights [a candle] near Hashem, for the neshama of every Jew - especially Jews that the Rebbe appointed as shluchim - to spread Yiddishkeit."

And I mentioned here on the side - I don't know why this is on the side - that from Chamisha Asar b'Av there's a minhag that we wish each other [a certain greeting] - and the numerical equivalent, the gematria, of "Chamisha Asar b'Av" and of that greeting is the same: 938. That's on the side - I don't know exactly what that's referring to.

And the level connected then to kinusim, gatherings, abroad, that we should learn to widen, and in avodah - and this is the purpose. And he narrates that the Rebbe [said] they should not just make a kinus once a year at [unclear], but make many kinusim throughout the year, to awaken and to continue to add more. That means that the Rebbe wanted them to start making kinusim all the time.

Now, Rabbi Hodakov - here it's very interesting - writes here, in his own handwriting - I think this is him speaking about himself, because he was the head of the kinus. Some people come, and the main thing they want to know is who is the keynote speaker - that's right, who is the keynote speaker. And the purpose of the kinus, apparently, is that the Rebbe wanted it to be more than just statistics and getting together - it's to strengthen each other. We should not just listen to a speaker, to the keynote speaker. This is what I get from here.

So based on that, before the farbrengen, the Rebbe called Rabbi Mindel and appointed him to be the head of that - I don't know whether too many people know this. Now, this Tu B'Av paper was attached - after this, they got together - this is another note - to compose points, as [the Rebbe] told them, to identify the project with a name and to establish an address, so they should right away contact Chabad activists everywhere. And this is the name that they chose.

And this is what the memo writes again - what we read - that he called them, both him and Rabbi Hodakov, and told them about the three people, and this was before he went to the Ohel. This is what the Rebbe wanted.

Now, over here, Rabbi Mindel writes - he continues: "Notify all Chabad institutions, in all places, to appoint three people who will be responsible to carry out in actuality the additional activities." I guess this is the copy of what he wrote to the Rebbe - what you read before. But this is what he wrote to the Rebbe: that the Rebbe is asking, expecting, in all matters, in keeping with the theme of Tu B'Av, that whoever increases - that's number one, he wrote. Then he writes - repeating what the Rebbe said - "the three people appointed will be doers, and will inspire others to do, in their respective institutions, community, and city, and will, every three months, send a detailed report of their actual increased activities - not to the Rebbe, not to the mazkirim," meaning not to 770, "but to a special address" - and this exactly represents what [the Rebbe] wanted.

"And also, these three appointed will have, a few times a year, a kinus gathering, to strengthen their activities, share [a report of] the past, and plan for the future, in an ever-increasing way." This is all written in Hebrew. And then he writes that the Rebbe said - he mentions this a few times - "this is not the time to practice humility, but we must do the utmost, and with the greatest fire, the greatest emphasis," on actually doing the deed in an ever-increasing way. This is what he writes to the Rebbe.

Now, this happened on Tu B'Av - he writes: "After we [presented] the Rebbe with the main outline" - this was Tu B'Av, a day later - Rabbi Mindel writes: "after we made this outline, he" - meaning Rabbi Mindel - "and Rabbi Hodakov called Rabbi Krinsky, notified him of the above, and requested that he arrange an international conference call, as he does from time to time, so that we can, in one shot, give the message to all communal leaders and activists in all cities and countries, informing them of these guidelines of the Rebbe, and they, in turn, will convey the message to everyone else." This conference call was to take place that evening at 10 pm - imagine, the Rebbe called them in at four o'clock, so [Rabbi Mindel] wanted it done right away, the same day, [a call set up] for 10 pm.

While writing this report, Rabbi Mindel writes: "I got a call from Rabbi Krinsky, who notified me that the call took place, and the guidelines were read to the participants. Some of them requested if they could get a written copy by fax - they will surely do what they are able to do." And then Rabbi Krinsky said - he writes - "that we connected yesterday evening with Rabbi Cunin [?], and gave him all the details, and he enthusiastically undertook to spread the message to all the Lubavitcher activists in California. We also contacted Rabbi Avril [?] with the same message." Rabbi Mindel writes that he requested from Rabbi Krinsky to compile a list of the people and institutions whom they contacted, so that they could update the Rebbe on the matter.

And this was a part which I don't know is known to many people - this was a few months after the Rebbetzin passed away, in Shvat - a few months later - that this should be done, and this should be done every single year; we should do the same thing.

Since we don't have time today to continue, b'ezras Hashem next week we have to continue what happened after this note. What they wrote, the Rebbe - we will continue next week. Thank you.