0195 - Lighting the Candles When the Rebbe Walked In

00:00 A lot of people have personal experiences with the Rebbe that they remember forever. And whenever they think of it, it brings you back to that feeling that you had then. Some of them are happy ones, good ones, sometimes they're scary ones. So I want to repeat one of the scary experiences that I had that whenever I think of it, I get scared again. And that is in Tov Shin Chof He, the Rebbe came for the Omet Shacharis and the Mincha Ma'ariv. Rebbe had five candles lit on the Omet. Who would light the candles? So usually it was Reb Shom Misro Chodakov. He used to light the candles. A few minutes before the Rebbe walked in, he would prepare the candles and light the candles. And before Shacharis and then before Mincha and then before Ma'ariv. One day in Tov Shin Chof He, middle of the winter, he told me that punctually today he will not be able to be in Sem 70 at the time to light the candles before the Rebbe comes into Mincha. So he asked me for a favor if I could do the one to do it. I said, "Sure, I could do it." Punctually and there was a Choson there. After Seder at two fifteen, comes over to me. He needs some help in his house, that he's in the middle of Yeshiva Berachas and needs some help to set up certain things, if I could come and help him. So I told him, "Sure, I could come, but I

01:08 have to be back here at three ten because the Rebbe comes out to Mincha three fifteen, and I promised that I would light the candles, so I have to be back." So I went there, and I was helping him, and the time got close, and I told him I have to run. He started nudging me, "No, you got to finish. You got to finish." Anyway, I slept until the last second, and I ran to Sem 70 with my coat. It was winter, and I ran in, and it was a minute before three fifteen. And I ran over to the Omed. Elam was standing already, and I was with my coat, with my scarf, and I ran over to the Omed, and I started lighting the candles, hoping, hoping that I'll finish before the Rebbe walks in. And what happened was, while I was in the middle of lighting the candles, the Rebbe walks in, and he walks over to the Omed. I couldn't go away from the Omed. I had to finish lighting the candles, and the Rebbe stood right next to me, waiting for me to finish. And I'm standing there with my coat, with my scarf, and lighting the candles, which is be'etzem a big chutzpah. Why couldn't you do it before? You have to have the Rebbe stand there, and you have to have the Rebbe wait. But that's how it turned out, and the Rebbe waited until I finished, and when I finished, I walked away, and the Rebbe started Ashrei.

02:10 But whenever I think of it, I push and start shivering. Thinking of the moment took Zachakam's time at 30 seconds or a minute that I was standing there lighting the candles, the Rebbe standing next to me, waiting for me to finish lighting the candles. Such a scare that I had that whenever I remember that, I get scared again, and I start shivering. But hopefully that there was no k'pede and everything was good. But the feeling that I had then, I still have now.