The Visit to the Home of Reb Levi Yitzchok

Welcome to our weekly program. This program is a continuation of last week. Last week I read to you the answer of the Rebbe to a certain individual, regarding the time he had gone to the Kever Avos [?], and then his mother said that she won't let him go anymore until the Rebbe answers him. You can always click back and see that.

Today I want to share with you the other letter that he received from the Rebbe. And since this Shabbos is also — it's 80 years since the histalkus of the Rebbe's father — so, at the end, after I read this letter that he received, I want to share with you two stories about the Rebbe's father, Reb Levi Yitzchok.

First let me read the letter. The letter was written in Hebrew, so I need to translate it into English. He wrote to this individual who had gone to the Kever Avos [?]. This was written [around the time of] "it should be turned very soon — in addition to all the fast days — to joy and gladness and to festive days." [This phrase, "face to face," I believe we discussed last week.]

Greeting and blessing: Your letter and your pan were received with pleasure. According to the custom of Yidden, we sanctify the new moon specifically at the conclusion of Shabbos — that is when we perform the Kiddush Levana.

[By the way, this always reminds me — speaking about Kiddush Levana, I know it has to do with renewal, and I know there's something specific that has to do with the teeth. I recall that whenever he said Kiddush Levana, he always used to touch his lips, because that has to do with the teeth. That reminded me of this.]

The reason given for this custom, found in a number of sources, is that it is a sign that the Jewish people are destined to be renewed like the moon. Just as the moon is renewed, [so too are we renewed]; it is therefore an auspicious time for us to renew our awakening to good resolutions in all matters of Torah and mitzvos, as these are what nullify the cause of the exile — since it is only because of our sins that we were exiled from our land, and when we nullify the cause, we are redeemed.

[This was in Hebrew — I'm translating it into English.]

Since good resolutions made by the community publicly are very powerful, may we accept these resolutions when the many are gathered in joyous gatherings — meaning gatherings for Torah learning, since it is the Torah that gladdens the heart and brings light to the eyes, and joy breaks through all barriers and confinements. We should do this through learning and gathering, especially during these auspicious times close to Tisha B'Av, and also during the Shabbos after it, which is when we bless the month of Elul — the month of accounting and completion of the past year — [done] three times, with the strength of Torah and its mitzvos, and with joy and gladness of heart, always and all the days. Blessings for success in all the above, as all this will also hasten that very soon will be fulfilled the promise that these days will be turned, from now on, to joy and rejoicing and festive days of truth and peace, and all will know that You and Your Name are One above all the world, with the true and complete Redemption through our righteous Moshiach.

And the Rebbe signs this letter to this individual.

Then the Rebbe writes a postscript: "The Shabbos that comes after Tisha B'Av is the yahrzeit of my father." This letter was written 40 years ago [i.e., 40 years after the histalkus]; now it's already 80 years.

Now, speaking about Reb Levi Yitzchok — the letter mentions here that he, of blessed memory, was called [a different name originally]. Reb Levi Yitzchok was named, when he was born, at the bris, not [that name] — but since, I think, he became sick, very sick, they renamed him — maybe after the Tzemach Tzedek's eldest son, Boruch Sholom [?], who was a son of the Tzemach Tzedek. The Tzemach Tzedek had seven children; they were all Rebbes — Boruch Sholom [?] was the oldest, but he wasn't a Rebbe — but we see that even from him came out [greatness].

I just want to mention that it is my obligation and merit to suggest, and to ask, to learn in his honor from his teachings, and to give [recognition] to him who devoted his life to the spreading of Yiddishkeit among our fellow Jews behind the Iron Curtain, and because of his activities he was imprisoned and judged to be exiled, where he passed away and where he is buried. May his merit protect us all, and all of Yisroel.

This is what he wrote to this individual — he felt [strongly about this and] wrote to him such a letter, so I wanted to read this letter first.

Now I want to mention a couple of stories — there are many stories about the Rebbe's father, but I want to mention one that I heard from Nanis [?] — there are different versions of it, but I'll just tell it to you the way I heard it from him. He was in America [when he related it].

[The story:] He was learning, and in the middle of the zman he had to go home — maybe it was for health reasons, I don't know. So he told the Rebbe that he needed to go home. The Rebbe told him, "When you go home, you should pass by the house" [of Reb Levi Yitzchok]. I don't know — I don't know what else he told him — just, "go there" — that's what he told him. I don't know whether it was on the way home or not, but since the Rebbe told him to go there, he made sure to go.

He arrived before Shabbos. So he told them that the Rebbe said he should come. So Reb Levi Yitzchok said, "Okay, come before Shabbos — I want to talk to you, I'll tell you something." Remember, Reb Levi Yitzchok was [a person of great stature] — so, so he came; he said he came before Shabbos to see Reb Levi Yitzchok. Reb Levi Yitzchok called him in and said to him, "Come with me." He took him and showed him a room — there was a light bulb there, it was pretty dark, but there was a small bulb — and he said, "Look, look well, look — this will come to be useful to you — look, look." That's what I heard from him. Who was sitting there? There was someone sitting and learning. That's it. And then he went home.

[The storyteller] says that later on he was in prison in Russia. Anyway, later on he came to America, and he came to the Rebbe here — I don't remember what year he came to America. So he went in to the Rebbe and told the Rebbe what Reb Levi Yitzchok had told him. The Rebbe smiled at him and said, "Am I useful to you?" That's it.

I mean, here we see — what did Reb Levi Yitzchok mean by this? The Rebbe wasn't even the Rebbe yet at that time, but Reb Levi Yitzchok certainly [already perceived something]. But this is a story that I heard from him, so I wanted to share it.

Then I want to share with you another story — there's much more about it, but we don't have time — that I heard from my [relation unclear], who, as you know, was the melamed — the Rebbe's teacher, the teacher of the Rebbe and his brothers, from the age of, I think, six or seven, until eleven. We mentioned a few weeks ago that he lived in [place unclear]. Reb Levi Yitzchok asked him to come — he was [occupation unclear] — but he wanted him to come be a teacher for his children. He says a teacher is important to choose carefully — it's a lesson we have to learn from this: when you have children, make sure the teacher is a proper one. Anyway, so he came.

Reb Levi Yitzchok had a custom to say [a maamar] — he would put on a tallis, I guess, the way some people put on a tallis. People, at 3:00 in the afternoon after Shabbos, needed to come and listen to the maamar of Reb Levi Yitzchok. A lot of prominent people used to come to listen; it was completely packed.

Reb Levi Yitzchok had his own nusach — the way he had a custom when he used to speak: first of all, he spoke long. I think the Rebbe also [spoke long] — I mean, didn't the Rebbe also speak long? So he used to speak long. He started with [unclear] and then used to go into [unclear], but he started with [unclear].

So he started to speak, and [the young Mendel] was there — he was a little boy of nine, ten, eleven years old, standing in the back by the door. After speaking maybe half an hour, an hour, Reb Levi Yitzchok stopped, and he said, "I don't know if people understand what I'm saying here — I don't know if it's hard to understand, or whether they don't understand — but this boy, he understands what I say." And this boy was [the future Rebbe], who was then a young boy.

So, since it's before [the yahrzeit], I thought I would share with you these two stories. I want to say that the 80 years [mark] a special year. Next week we'll continue our weekly program. Thank you.