Haazinu: 5786 - Watch: Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld of Nachlas Har Chabad brings a first-hand story from his father-in-law, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Poizner z"l, who passed away 3 months ago, ahead of the day…

00:02 Speaker 1 We’re on the day after Yom Kippur. It’s a special day. It’s called “G-d’s Name”—in Yiddish, “G-tts Nomen.” The day after Yom Kippur is an auspicious, special day.

00:16 Speaker 2 Today.

00:17 Speaker 1 Yes, and we’re already beginning the season of our rejoicing. Since in two days, on 13 Tishrei, it will be the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Maharash, I want to tell a story about him. I heard it from my father-in-law, my shver, who passed away about three months ago. He was one of the elder chassidim. He had even been in yechidus with the Frierdiker Rebbe, and he had served as the Rebbe’s shliach in various places in the United States. I heard this story from him. And whenever he told it, he would emphasize: “I heard this story firsthand”—from someone who had been there and seen it with his own eyes. What happened with the Rebbe Maharash? A few days before Yom Kippur, the baal tefillah, the one who was supposed to lead Kol Nidrei, fell ill and was bedridden. The gabbaim came to the Rebbe Maharash and said, “The man who’s supposed to lead Kol Nidrei is ill and may not be able to do it. We need to appoint someone else.” The Rebbe Maharash said, “Everything will be all right. Don’t worry.” Well, a few more days passed. The chazzan, this baal tefillah, grew worse and was lying in bed dangerously ill. So they came to the Rebbe Maharash again and asked, “What about him? What should we do?” Again, the Rebbe said, “You have nothing to worry about. Everything will be all right.” The afternoon of Erev Yom Kippur arrived. This man was already dying, lying unconscious in bed. Surely he wouldn’t be able to lead the prayers. So they came to the Rebbe Maharash again. They needed to appoint a replacement. The Rebbe Maharash said that he should immerse in the mikveh and go lead Kol Nidrei. They couldn’t understand: he should immerse in the mikveh and go lead Kol Nidrei? Pray? It seemed unthinkable. The man was lying there, G-d forbid, and the Rebbe said he should immerse in the mikveh. Well, the Rebbe had said it.

02:39 Speaker 1 So you don’t ask questions. Now, my shver heard this when he was a child. They lived in Chicago, and there was an elderly rabbi there. He wasn’t a Chabad chossid, but he had married the daughter of one of the residents of Lubavitch, so he had been there and had seen it. He heard what was happening with the baal tefillah, and it made him very curious. What would happen? So he followed along to see what was going on. The Rebbe had said the man needed to immerse in the mikveh. There was no way he could walk to the mikveh. So a few young men came. The Rebbe had said he needed to immerse in the mikveh, so they took him, bed and all, to immerse him. This rabbi, from whom my shver heard the story, said he saw them take the man on his bed to immerse him. He began shouting, “You’re murderers! You’re going to kill the man!” But the young men paid no attention. The Rebbe had said he needed to immerse in the mikveh, so they took him. They immersed him in the mikveh with the bed. The rabbi would describe the rattling sounds the man made as they immersed him—how he gasped and made noises. They immersed him and brought him out. The man woke up, got up, went home, dressed in Yom Tov clothes, and led Kol Nidrei. This is an authentic story I heard from my father-in-law, who heard it firsthand from someone who had stood there and seen it. We heard from the Rebbe several times that the Rebbe Maharash’s way of conduct was like the stories told of the Baal Shem Tov. And this was truly a Baal Shem Tov–like story involving the Rebbe Maharash. May it be Hashem’s will to perform great miracles for us, and soon.

04:30 Speaker 3 Amen.

04:30 Speaker 1 The greatest miracle of all: the complete Geulah.

04:32 Speaker 3 Amen.