Episode 267 - The Rebbe Rashab's Encouragement of Chabad Businesses.

00:01 The Frierdiker Rebbe copies here a letter that his father, the Rebbe Rashab, wrote about strengthening Jewish observance. Tuesday, 23 Adar II, eight in the evening—or the eighth hour of the evening, which may mean seven o’clock. “Today my father, the Rebbe Rashab, gave me a letter he is writing to Rabbi Medivsky[?] about the organization called Machzikei Hadas to copy, and instructed me to send copies to some of our friends and learn their opinions on it.” This is the letter: “He has surely heard about the initiative to establish a Machzikei Hadas association in our country”—meaning Russia—“which the rabbi of Slonim is working on. The rabbis here, as well as the rabbis of Poland, may they live, have also been stirred to act.” The Rebbe Rashab writes: “I see a need for this on the part of the G-d-fearing themselves: to awaken them from their deep slumber and encourage and strengthen them. In recent years they have grown so weak that they have left every matter to take its course without paying any attention. That is true of communal matters, and even in their own private lives they try to conceal every good quality they possess. Take Torah study, for example: they study behind closed doors, specifically where no one will see them. They do not want to be seen davening, studying, or being particular about any mitzvah. Even what is in their hearts they hide deep within, as though no one must see it. On the contrary, outwardly they give the impression that they are in step with the maskilim, at least in certain things they regard as permissible: honoring them and their writers, praising them for the revival of the Hebrew language and for insisting that children study it. In their hearts, they think otherwise and do not agree at all with their deeds, their literature, and the like, but they want to flatter the wicked.” In parentheses, the Rebbe Rashab writes that in the end, they or their children fall into the hands of those wicked people. “May Hashem protect us, our children, and our households from them and their followers, forever

02:43 and ever. These religious Jews want to appear before them as educated people who understand the spirit of the times. Certainly, they do not want to be mocked and called idle, benighted people”—familiar terms used by the Haskalah movement. “But concealing the good in this way is enough to make it truly disappear. Little by little, genuine goodness is hidden and forgotten until it is absent altogether. In other words, they no longer study, no longer daven properly, and no longer take care to fulfill a mitzvah especially well. Everything is kept out of sight, grows rigid and cold, and is done by rote. They themselves have not, G-d forbid, reached that point, nor would they accept it; they have not stepped outside the bounds of the Shulchan Aruch. But the effect is apparent among the members of their households, who become lenient in various matters. At first these are small things, and the fathers either do not notice or turn a blind eye. Since the good is hidden away in their own lives, the bad is not felt so keenly either, or they do not stand up against it. Their desire for peace and a comfortable life with their families prevails. From small matters, it progresses to serious ones. The fathers regard some of the things being done in their homes as wrong, but they lack the strength to oppose them firmly. Nor are their words heeded, and their authority is no longer felt at home, because they have already missed the opportunity. Their earlier weakness and failure to object have led to this. Here begins the crisis in education that touches the very heart of their children’s Yiddishkeit. “This is why I see a need,” the Rebbe Rashab writes, “to establish these Machzikei Hadas associations: to strengthen Torah study and every good practice, specifically in an open way. Each person should watch over the members of his household, overlook nothing, and teach and guide them. If someone cannot influence his household on his own, the members of the association should help him, for often someone else can have a greater effect. Above all, he must not despair, G-d forbid. If they do not succeed the first

05:26 time, they will succeed after many attempts, with Hashem’s help. They should entrust their children specifically to suitable teachers. The teachers should be carefully supervised by people chosen from the association, to ensure that they are suitable and that no foreign influences, G-d forbid, enter into their teaching. They should teach according to a curriculum provided by the association, which should also set the ages at which boys and girls begin learning Russian and the like. They should also firmly strengthen the observance of general mitzvos, such as keeping Shabbos, with Hashem’s help.” That is more or less the letter. I have changed the wording a little to make it understandable to everyone. The account continues in the diary. On Thursday, 25 Adar II, at midnight, the Frierdiker Rebbe writes: “I made twenty-two copies of that letter, and they are ready to be sent by registered mail.” Sunday, 7 Nissan, eight in the evening. Since the month of Teves that year, requests had arrived from many places where Anash lived asking for copies of the holy letter we already discussed—the maamar about Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus, the special letter the Rebbe Rashab wrote for 19 Kislev. “I asked,” the Frierdiker Rebbe writes, “the secretary, Zeligson, to put the letters received about this in a separate pile.” That is, after copies were sent to those who requested them, various replies came back. He asked him to set aside “the acknowledgments for the maamarim sent and the requests for information relating to the matter, because I want to prepare a general account for my father of the practical results of the awakening brought about by this holy letter.” And we continue. The Frierdiker Rebbe writes that he took all the material—the letters sent, the requests received, and the replies received—and prepared a full report to present to his father, the Rebbe Rashab. An approximate tally of the copies of the maamar on Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus: Shmuel the scribe copied and distributed the following, including those copied by Mordechai Pinchas, Shlomo, and Rabbi Akiva Reuven. These were counted as his copies, sold for ten prutos, and the thousand he sold to the Tomchei Temimim office were included as well. Altogether, 2,350 copies, all in Shmuel the scribe’s handwriting. So that is 2,400 “kopir”—apparently some kind of copy—and 350 in his handwriting. Two: copies the students made from their own “kopir,” approximately 800. Three: Rabbi Mordechai Pinchas copied and sold 300. Rabbi Shlomo copied and sold 400. Rabbi Akiva Reuven copied and sold 300 through Chaim Yisroel Eitzen[?], who would go to the inns to sell the writings to the editors. Chaim Yisroel: 200. Total: approximately 4,750. These were copies of that letter sent to chassidim in many places in Russia. Requests for the letter: 162 letters from 89 places, requesting 1,367 copies. Three: acknowledgments—meaning confirmations that copies had been received—and reports: 203. Of these, 55 were mostly cards acknowledging receipt of the mailing and accounts for payment, and 48 were letters. Now, the letters: 23 describe the impression the holy letter made in Anash circles and complain that it did not arrive on time. Some demand an explanation, or rebuke them, for not sending copies immediately upon receiving it from the Rebbe. Then it would at least have reached them during Chanukah—at least in time for those special days. All these letters are written in more or less the same vein. Twelve letters are written with great emotion, and they too contain words of rebuke. First: “You are not giving us our food, our nourishment—the spiritual things we need.” Second, they write: “Such wickedness, withholding light and life from Anash, could only be found among people born in Lubavitch.” And they continue.

08:26 Which Mordechai Pinchas, Shlomo, and Rabbi Akiva Reuven copied. They counted them together with his “kopir” copies, at a price of ten prutos, including the thousand he sold to the Tomchei Temimim office. In all, 2,400 copies and 350 in the handwriting of Shmuel the scribe. So that’s 2,400 “kopir”—apparently some kind of copy—and 350 handwritten copies. Two: copies made by the students from their own “kopir,” approximately 800. Three: Rabbi Mordechai Pinchas copied and sold 300. Rabbi Shlomo copied and sold 400. Rabbi Akiva Reuven copied and sold 300 through Chaim Yisroel Itzen[?], who would go to the inns to sell the writings to the editors. Chaim Yisroel, 200. Altogether, approximately 4,750 copies of that letter were sent to chassidim in many places in Russia. Letters requesting the letter: 162 from 89 places, requesting 1,367 copies. Three: letters of acknowledgment—that is, confirmations that copies had been received, and reports—203. Of these, 55 were mostly cards, receipts for shipments and accounts of payments, and 48 were letters. Now, the letters. Twenty-three letters describe the impression that Igeres Hakodesh made in Anash circles and complain that the letter did not arrive on time. Some demand an explanation, or rebuke them for not sending out copies of the letter immediately upon receiving it from the Rebbe. Then it would have reached them at least during Chanukah—at least in time for the holidays. All these letters are more or less in the same vein. Twelve letters are written with great emotion, and they too contain rebuke. First of all, you are not giving us our food, our grain, the spiritual things we need. Second, they write to us, “Such wickedness—denying Anash light and life—could only be found among the natives of Lubavitch.” And they continue.

11:31 And they write that, as is well known, the sand around the sea is dry. In other words, they are hinting that we in Lubavitch do not have enough feeling for Chassidus. A third thing... All right, more or less the same thing. Then there are nine letters reporting that when they received the letters, they designated a day of rejoicing with a seudas mitzvah, made it a Yom Tov, and blessed the Rebbe. Four letters like that. A letter from Brisk says: “When we received the Igeres Hakodesh, we intended to designate Purim Katan as a day of rejoicing to make up for the past 19 Kislev. But when our master, the gaon Rabbi Chaim of Brisk, heard about this and saw the Igeres Hakodesh, he said, ‘One does not mix one celebration with another. The Yom Tov of 19 Kislev deserves to be observed on its own, especially in light of what is written in the Rebbe’s letter.’” The second was written from Kremenchug. They write: “When we received the Igeres Hakodesh, we designated three days of rejoicing: the 16th, the 17th, and Shabbos Shirah, the 18th of Shvat. The rabbis who were Chassidim of Poland, Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov and Rabbi Torushsky[unclear], also danced without their outer coats and said, ‘Chabad is alive! May Hashem grant that Chagas, too, can live.’” A third letter, from Vilna, says: “When the Igeres Hakodesh about the festival of liberation arrived, we held a large meal in the October[unclear] synagogue. One of the rabbis told the gaon Rabbi Chaim Ozer about the holy letter concerning 19 Kislev, that it is the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus. That rabbi laughed heartily as he told Rabbi Chaim Ozer, and said, ‘The Mishnah mentions only four New Years, but the Chassidim have five.’ The gaon Rabbi Chaim Ozer was upset with that rabbi, even though he was a member of the beis din and counted among the leading rabbis. He had been lenient in a number of matters concerning the observance of Behab and Yom Kippur Katan, and in other matters of conduct. The gaon Rabbi Chaim Ozer had been distressed by this, and when that rabbi told him about the letter concerning the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus, the gaon Rabbi Chaim Ozer replied that it was

14:23 something very important.” And a letter from Petersburg: “On Monday of last week, the 12th of Shvat, Rabbi Ben Zion Otyevsky came from Bryansk on business. When he visited his relative, Mr. Yaakov Otyevsky, he showed him the Igeres Hakodesh about 19 Kislev. Yaakov Otyevsky was a secular man, as is known, but the spark within him and memories of his childhood were awakened. He told his relative to arrange to come to him for a Yom Tov meal that he himself would hold at a time suitable for the Chassidim, and that the utensils and food would be brought from Rabbi Gorfinkel’s restaurant. On Thursday, the 15th of Shvat, the second Yom Tov of 19 Kislev was held with great splendor and joy, in the presence of a large gathering of Chassidim.” Yes, in Petersburg, with Rabbi Chaim [unclear] of Siyavo and [unclear] Monason—we already spoke about him—and Rabbi Shmuel Michel Treinin at their head. Now, as Yaakov Otyevsky’s heart was filled with great inspiration, he swore that from then on his home would be a kosher home, observing Shabbos and keeping kosher. The next day he broke his utensils and bought new ones. And Shabbos Shirah was the first Shabbos in nineteen years that Yaakov Otyevsky closed his restaurant. Come and see how great the power of a Chassidic farbrengen is: people are deeply stirred by the Rebbe’s words, and even those who, may it never happen to us, had been very far away can be brought back to teshuvah. Chassidim have spiritual powers.