Episode 258 - More Stories About the Chassidim of the Rebbe Rashab.

00:01 The chossid Polk Kahn tells an interesting story. The chassidim were sitting with the Rebbe Rashab and his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe, at Yozik Gurevitch’s home in Warsaw. The Rebbe Rashab went to rest for a while in a room prepared for him, and his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe, instructed me to stand by the entrance to the middle room and make sure no one went in. The Frierdiker Rebbe himself stayed with the chassidim. I did as the Rebbe instructed. I closed the door and remained alone in the room. Then I heard knocking at the door. I didn’t answer, but when the knocking continued, I opened the door a little to tell whoever was knocking that no one was allowed in just then. I saw that it was the Frierdiker Rebbe. He stood there and said in his witty way, “You may be standing guard, but you’re allowed to let the commander in.” He and Reb Feivel Zalmanov came in and sat in the middle room, continuing the conversation they had begun before entering. The Frierdiker Rebbe related that at the rabbinical conference held in Petersburg, one of the distinguished rabbis disagreed with the Rebbe Rashab. At that conference in 5670, the Rebbe Rashab had said that rabbis did not need to learn Russian. To prove his own point, this distinguished rabbi cited the Alter Rebbe, who had said upon returning from prison in Petersburg, “Had I known the language of the country and not needed to speak through an interpreter, it would have been easier for me.” That was how the rabbi sought to prove the supposed need to learn Russian. So the gaon Rabbi Chaim of Brisk said to him, “Let me tell you a story. It is known that when the righteous Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev recited the Kesser Kedushah during morning prayers, he brought about a blessing that enabled barren women to have children. Well, once it happened that a young servant girl gave birth to a child out of wedlock. As can happen,

02:49 G-d forbid. The incident caused a great uproar in Berditchev. They brought the girl before the rabbi and shouted at her, ‘Admit what you did! Tell us who the child’s father is!’ The girl said, ‘What do you mean? It was the rabbi. Everyone knows that when he recites Kesser in the Kedushah during morning prayers, people are blessed with children.’” Rabbi Chaim of Brisk concluded, “Do you understand? She became pregnant by some drunken soldier, but she blamed the rabbi. And the point should be clear”—in connection with the supposed need to learn Russian. And another story, about the well-known Beilis trial. One of the leading lawyers in the Beilis trial was Gruzenberg. He was a very famous lawyer, and he needed a great many books to consult while preparing his speeches. When Gruzenberg heard that the Rebbe Rashab had many books, he asked to have them brought to him. Gruzenberg’s messenger arrived in Lubavitch, not knowing that the Rebbe Rashab was not there at the time, and entered the large yeshivah hall while we were studying—so Rabbi Rafael Kahn relates. People in Lubavitch said at the time that Gruzenberg needed 150 books, and obtained 33 of them from the Rebbe Rashab. The Rebbe Rashab sent him the books together with a letter strengthening and encouraging him in his work. He also asked Gruzenberg to arrange his address to the jury so that he would end it with the verse, “Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.” The Rebbe Rashab also blessed Gruzenberg that he should succeed in his task. Gruzenberg agreed to the Rebbe Rashab’s request. His speech was very long. He spoke for a long time, and at the end he turned to the prisoner Mendel Beilis, who was sitting in the dock, and said: “Mendel Beilis, even if the judges close their ears

05:38 and turn their hearts away from the truth and find you guilty, do not lose heart. Entrust your soul to Hashem, like every faithful Jew who gives his life for Hashem by reciting the verse, ‘Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.’” And another story, about a chossid of the Rebbe Rashab. One of the chassidim was a government contractor. Malicious people envied him and made false accusations against him. I would say, in parentheses, that it sounds familiar. His trial was due to take place in Petersburg. Although the chossid was innocent, he had no witnesses or evidence to prove that he was in the right. The wicked people, on the other hand, had witnesses and evidence founded on lies. The chossid came to the Rebbe and told him about it. The Rebbe said to him, “You’re traveling to Petersburg by train. Which class are you traveling in?” The chossid replied, “Second or third class.” The Rebbe Rashab said to him, “This time you will travel first class,” and blessed him. The chossid left the Rebbe, obeyed him, and traveled to Petersburg first class, where there were only two people in each compartment. They traveled all night, and at dawn the next morning he took out his tallis and tefillin and prepared to daven. He truly davened from the depths of his heart, because he was in a time of distress. After finishing his prayers, he said Tehillim, and there too he poured out his heart to Hashem. The man sharing his compartment was lying in his berth, and the chossid thought he was still asleep. In fact, he was awake and had been watching the chossid the whole time. Afterward, the man got up, washed, took some food out of his bag and sat down to eat. The chossid also took food out of his bag, and they sat together at the table, each eating his own food. Meanwhile, they struck up a conversation. As they talked about one thing and another, the man asked the chossid, “Why did you cry so much while you were davening? I can see on your face that you’re in distress.” The chossid briefly told him about the accusation and the whole matter.

08:16 When they reached Petersburg, each went his own way. A few days later, the trial was held. How startled the chossid was when he recognized the judge: it was the man who had traveled with him on the train. Having already heard the whole story from the defendant when he had spoken freely, unaware of who his listener was, the judge understood that he was telling the truth and that the accusation was false. He acquitted him. Only then did the chossid understand why the Rebbe had told him to travel first class.