0535 - Chofetz Chaim Praised Lubavitch

00:00 There were a few brothers here in America, Rabbonim, and their last name was Pupko, and they used to be a lot in the house of the Chofetz Chaim. I think they were also relatives of the Chofetz Chaim. Somehow relatives, maybe they were great nephews or something like that. I'm not sure, but I think they were kraven of the Chofetz Chaim, and they used to be a lot in the Chofetz Chaim's house. So I was once speaking to one of the brothers, Rabbi Pupko from Pittsburgh, and he told me that he was once in the house of the Chofetz Chaim, and he witnessed this, that a delegation came from a certain city, that they were looking for a new Rav. I don't know why, whether the old Rav had left or the old Rav passed away, whatever. They were looking for a Rav. And they came to the Chofetz Chaim to discuss it with him, which person to take. And they had two choices. One was a Lubavitcher, and one was an Ilumcher, was a different one, not a Lubavitcher, a different type of Rav. So they came to the Chofetz Chaim, asking the Chofetz Chaim for advice, which one they should take. So he says to me that this is what he heard the Chofetz Chaim say to them. The Chofetz Chaim said, "Ale Yidden zeinen tzivas Hashem." All Yidden, all Jews are part of tzivas Hashem, of Hashem's army. "Ober di tzivas Hashem, be Toch tzivas Hashem," the Eibishter's army, which is within the

01:21 Eibishter's army, those are the Lubavitch Hasidim. Now, I don't know what period it was. Could be it was a time that it was really after the communists took over, and there you needed mesirus nefesh and to be strong to be able to hold on to Yiddishkeit, to spread Yiddishkeit, and you knew that the main ones that did that were the Lubavitcher. That's why he said it, or it was a different time. I don't know. But this is the loshen he told me he heard himself say, Chofetz Chaim saying to this delegation, that they should take the Lubavitcher Rav. Why? Because all Yidden are tzivas Hashem, but the tzivas Hashem within the tzivas Hashem are the Lubavitch Hasidim.