Rav Moshe Feinstein’s Letter About the Rebbe

Episode 210: "Rav Moshe Feinstein's Letter About the Rebbe"

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

I mentioned many times that years ago I taught in Yeshiva Brooklyn. It was because the Rebbe wanted me to be there. I had offers from other places later, for more money, more pay, and I asked the Rebbe, and the Rebbe said no, I should stay in Yeshiva Brooklyn, even though I got paid much less. I didn't know why, but those that I taught in Yeshiva Brooklyn - some of them are now Rabbanim in Lakewood, some of them are in Baltimore, some of them are Rabbanim - we're still in touch, and once in a while we get together. I don't know, this was years ago, but they are still together, and they tell me that they listen to this program. So we had a gathering a few weeks ago, and they asked me why the Rebbe is in touch with the whole world - which they understand, he's in touch with politicians from the whole world, governors, doctors, lawyers - but they asked, why isn't he in touch with the gedolei Torah? They hadn't heard - at least that's what they said - that he's in touch with gedolei Torah or others.

And since they're listening to this program, I want to mention - since today is Taanis Esther, the yahrzeit of Rav Moshe Feinstein - I want to read to you in Hebrew a letter that he wrote about the Rebbe. And I remember, when I was teaching in Yeshiva Brooklyn, when he [Rav Moshe Feinstein] passed away, they asked me if they could go to the levaya, and I gave them reshus to go to the levaya. So I want to share with you a letter that he wrote about the Rebbe, but before I share it with you, I want to give you a few examples of how the Rebbe was in touch with other gedolim and was very much involved.

By the way, years ago, in the late 1940s, early 1950s, I think Torah Vodaath [?] was in trouble then, and they needed money. They wrote to the Rebbe - I have the letters - and the Rebbe sent them a lot of money, and the Rebbe gave them encouragement not to close the yeshiva [unclear]. Anyway, the Rebbe was involved with Rashash [?, name unclear].

Now I want to share with you - let's say the Klausenburger Rebbe: when he wasn't well, he sent a delegation to the Rebbe. Rabbi Williger was the head of this delegation, and he asked that the Rebbe give him [the Klausenburger Rebbe] a bracha. They were by the Rebbe, and the Rebbe, of course, gave best regards to the Klausenburger Rebbe. The Klausenburger Rebbe had asked Rabbi Williger to find out - he heard that the Rebbe does what he does, that he also says Tehillim - and he wanted to know when he started and why he started. Some things they knew the answer to, some things they didn't. I remember Rabbi Williger said that the Rebbe asked him when he says Tehillim - before or after [davening]? So they said "before." The Rebbe said, "that comes before." So they didn't know the answer. Then they went back, and the Rebbe was waiting for the answer and asked again - he wants an answer - so they said that before he says Tehillim he always says a perek of Tanya, because that comes first. Excuse me.

Also, I remember - my father-in-law, Rabbi Mindel, told me - he was very close with Shazar, the President [transcribed as "Prime Minister" - uncertain], very close. Shazar told Rabbi Mindel that when he was once by the Rebbe, he mentioned something sad, and the Rebbe grabbed hold of his hand and said, "Stop - this is a simcha" - the Rebbe did not let him continue. The Rebbe went to be menachem avel in 1954-55, when he [Shazar] lost his mother, I think, and they spoke there. One of the things they spoke about was the Name "Makom" - why do we say "Makom"? It doesn't literally mean "a place" - He is called "Makom" because He is everywhere - but why use that term? So I think the Rebbe said, "I don't know, but it says that every person has a makom in this world, and that makom - it's - the person is there, now the person is not there - and so we can learn out from that person now even more than before."

I think they also spoke - I don't know if it was Shazar, or maybe it was someone else - he asked, "How can it be...?" I'm not sure. I think it was - so the Rebbe answered, "I also have a question: is the glass half-empty or half-full? Depends how you look at it." Now, by the way, Kotler [?, name unclear] was also there, by Shazar, when the Rebbe was there, and the Rebbe and Shazar were talking, and he turns to the Rebbe and says, "Can I know what you're talking about?" So the Rebbe says, "This is not for you." That's what happened then.

Anyway, the Rebbe was in touch with others - a Rav from Romania [unclear], the Rebbe helped him. I remember, he was once by the Rebbe - he used to come, Monday and Thursday, in the early years, and his [unclear] was there. The Rebbe gave him his [unclear]; he always [unclear], but the Rebbe said he should give [unclear]. I remember they say he had a lot of stories from him - he went in to the Rebbe with a gabbai - he had been a [unclear] back in Russia - so he was by the Rebbe with his gabbai. I mean, there's a lot of things [more that could be told].

Rav Hutner, before he passed away, asked the Rebbe for a bracha - and I have a letter from Rav Hutner. People should know that he asked the Rebbe for a bracha for a child - he didn't have children - and the Rebbe gave him a bracha, and he had a daughter, one daughter, that's all he had - Bruria - who, a couple of years ago, passed away. So we see that there was this involvement [unclear reference]. I just want to show you how much the Rebbe was involved with others.

There's a story - you know, we come from Cleveland - he [a Rav] once told my father, "I want to tell you something, but please, please, I'm begging you, tell this to the Rebbe." There was someone who had spoken loshon hora, so he called him over and said, "I heard you spoke loshon hora," and the person said, "Definitely not." He said, "Tell the Rebbe that I said he's definitely [lying], from what I heard." So he said, "Did you ask him?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Take your belongings, your suitcase, take a Greyhound bus - this was years ago - and go to the Rebbe, take off your shoes, and ask, and when I find out that you asked, then I'll take you back." He left. "Tell this to the Rebbe, please," he says - "he wants the Rebbe to feel good about it." So my father, when he went, told this to the Rebbe, and the Rebbe leaned back - the Rebbe never leans back, same thing as at a farbrengen, he never leans back - but he leaned back this time, and [unclear].

So now - there's much, much more, we have no time - I want to read the letter. This is written in Hebrew, and I will translate it into English. This is what Rav Moshe Feinstein wrote about the Rebbe:

"Today, with the help of G-d, [date] 5738 [1978], regarding the health condition of the Gaon and Tzaddik, who devotes his nights and days for the furtherance of Torah and strengthening of Yiddishkeit and to bring Jews closer to our Father in Heaven - I appeal to all rabbis, wherever they may be, to speak in the synagogues and botei medrash, to awaken their congregants about the popular Mitzvah Campaign of the Rebbe, to enable Jews to observe the mitzvah of mezuzah, lighting Shabbos candles, and more - since the entire yearning of the Gaon and Tzaddik of Lubavitch is to bring Jews closer to their Father in Heaven, and it is already well known that through the above-mentioned Mitzvah Campaign, thousands of Jews have become observant of mitzvos. It is therefore certain that every activity in affirmation of this will strengthen his health, and most certainly that all things being done by the Rebbe are great things, to bring Jews closer to the precepts of the Almighty G-d and to pure faith in G-d, and it is a great deed to make sure that they are all fulfilled, and the Almighty G-d should send him a speedy recovery - this he should be able to do for the honor of Heaven and for fulfilling the mitzvah of the Almighty G-d, and the learning of Torah, until the coming of Moshiach."

Rav Moshe Feinstein signs this letter.

So we see the connection between the Rebbe and others.

Now, talking about Rav Moshe Feinstein, I want to tell you one more story - that a person wrote: the story was, he had doubts in his faith, so he wrote to Rav Moshe Feinstein about it. What Rav Moshe answered - later on I found this, he wrote about it in the Jewish Press - Rav Moshe asked him, "How do you get up in the morning?" So he says, "I get up - I live not far from a church, and there's a bell, and at 6:00 in the morning the bell rings, and that wakes me up." Rav Moshe said, "Move right away," and he moved, and all his doubts went away. He wrote this - he wrote a letter about this to the Rebbe - and the Rebbe answered that he was very happy to hear this. So we see the connection between the tzaddikim.

That's it - next week we will continue our weekly program. Thank you.