0058 - A Country Full of Mashke

00:03 In the mems, my wife and myself went on the shlichas to Russia, shlichas from Ezra Sachin, which is connected to the Rebbe. So I would consider it a shlichas from the Rebbe to go to Russia. And the purpose was, as we all know, the reason was to fabreng there and to give them shiurim and to bring a little chayis there. And whenever you taught somebody, that was automatically multiplied because he taught it to others. It was a big shlichas. So I just want to mention one thing. The ones that went before us, the Rebbe sent along mashke. So we were thinking that the Rebbe probably would send along mashke with us also. And we were going for Purim. We were going to be there Purim and after Purim went for two weeks. So I was waiting and waiting to pay the Rebbe didn't send on mashke. The last day, I told Rav Agrona that usually the Rebbe sends mashke for the shluchim that go to Russia. The Rebbe didn't send. So he said, I'll ask the Rebbe. So he went into the Rebbe before we left and he said to the Rebbe that we were waiting for the mashke. So the Rebbe said to him, zogze, you should tell us that since you're going for Purim and Purim is a time when people drink mashke, but they're going to a medina shekula mashke, a medina that's full of mashke. So if you're going to bring in mashke, by the customs, there's going to be a

01:18 question, what are they doing bringing in mashke for Purim from America? There must be something more to it. And the mele, it's not kedai that they should take mashke. Let them take other things, he said. Let them take salami. He gave an example. Let them take salami. And he didn't send mashke because of this reason. It shows how much the Rebbe was very careful because when the Rebbe sent out dollars for us, he wrote and he said that you should change it over there, but eifun legali, in a legal way. In other words, the Rebbe didn't want to start up with them. The Rebbe wanted us to be very careful. Only in the eifun legali we should exchange the money. But bechlal, the Rebbe was very careful with what he would. But here in this case, he said he's not sending mashke because it's a place, a medina shekula mashke, and the customs are going to wonder why are they sending mashke. And that's why he didn't send mashke with us.