0237 - Being Present when the Rebbe Spoke with R' Binyomin Goredetzky

00:00 It was in the Chofs, and I was once standing in Maskirus, speaking to one of the Maskirim, I don't remember exactly what, asking for something. And also Rabbi Yomim Garadeski happened to be standing there, also doing something. And as I'm standing there, I see from the Rebbe's room, the door opens, and the Rebbe walks out. He's going out to the outside. I don't remember if he was going home or he was going to the mikveh, going to the ail, but he was walking out. And as he's walking out, going to the outside, he glances into the door of the Maskirus is open. He looks into the door of Maskirus and he sees Rabbi Yomim Garadeski there. So the Rebbe walked into Maskirus and in the office there stopped and was talking to him. And I was standing not far. I felt so uncomfortable that standing there and the Rebbe's talking to him, uh, obviously it wasn't something private because I don't remember what they were talking about, but I do remember Rebbe was speaking loud. It wasn't, and he knew that there, I was standing there, and I don't remember if anybody else was there, but the Maskirim were there. But the Rebbe spoke, spoke for a few minutes. He spoke to him there inside Maskirus, and this was not planned because he was on the way home. He was on the way out. And I saw when he looked in, he just happened to see him. So, so he walked in, and he was

01:13 standing, speaking there for quite a few minutes, and I was standing there on the side not knowing what to do with myself. And then when he finished, he walked out and went to the door and went to the outside. This is also one of those feelings that I always remember very, feeling very, very uncomfortable standing in a place that the Rebbe is right there and is able to see you. But how we know that the Bochrim always used to try to hide from the Rebbe. If you would stand outside, not even middle of Seder where you felt that you were doing something wrong, but outside and Rebbe was coming, everyone would hide. It's based on Yerushalmi where it says, "Runim Norim v'derboa", brings the pasig that you should hide when you see the Rebbe. And everyone felt uncomfortable that the Rebbe could look at your face and he sees exactly what you are, and he looks at you. Even when the Bochrim stood by davening, everyone tried to stand behind somebody else that when the Rebbe would pick up his head to look, so the Rebbe, uh, would see you, so you tried to hide that the Rebbe shouldn't see you. And here I'm standing right all the way, open all the way myself standing there, and the Rebbe is talking to him, and he's able to see me. But a few minutes passed, and, uh, the Rebbe walked out, and I walked out of Maskirus. But that feeling remained with me forever, that feeling

02:16 that standing there for a few minutes in the presence of the Rebbe.