0556 - Hakoras Hatov of the Rebbe - R' Plitnik

00:01 I heard from Rav Meisha Gertner from London, the son of Rav Yehuda Gertner, who was the Reish HaMareches, the chairman of the editorial board of the Gemaras of the Pirush Chavrusah. So he told me he once came to 770. This was in Tov Shin Nun Alef. He came to 770 with a friend of his, Rav Yankel Plitnik. And he was standing outside in the hallway when the Rebbe came out of Mincha. And when the Rebbe walked by and saw him, so the Rebbe asked him how he is, and the Rebbe asked him how his parents are, and he asked about his brother and about his sister. And then the Rebbe asked who is this other person that's with him. So he said, Yankel Plitnik. The moment he said that name, the Rebbe answered, For this minute, I waited many, many years. And the Rebbe gave him a brocha and gave him a yasher koach. What was this all about? We know that the Rebbe's brother, Reb Yisroel Aryeleib, lived in Liverpool, and that's where he passed away. The Rebbe didn't want his mother should know that he passed away. So we know that the Rebbe would send letters in the name of his brother to his mother. The way it used to go, she would send letters to Liverpool, to a certain address, thinking that she's sending a letter to her son, Reb Yisroel Aryeleib. There they would send the letter that she wrote back to the Rebbe. The Rebbe would write an answer and

01:22 send it back to Liverpool. And from Liverpool, this letter would be sent to the Rebbe's mother. Who was the one that was involved in this? Was the Rav of Liverpool. The Rav of Liverpool was Rabbi Plitnik, the father of this Yankel Plitnik. So when the Rebbe just heard his name, that this is Yankel Plitnik, right away the Rebbe said, this is a moment that I waited for many years. The Rebbe was waiting for many years to be able to give a yasher koach for what they did. Because when the Rebbe's mother would send the letter to Liverpool to her son, the address was to Rabbi Plitnik. Rabbi Plitnik would send that letter to the Rebbe. The Rebbe would send back a letter as if he's sending a letter, as if his brother is writing it. And he would send it back to Liverpool to Rabbi Plitnik. And Rabbi Plitnik then would send that letter of the Rebbe that she thought was her son, was Reb Yisroel Aryeleib, back to the Rebbe's mother. So the Rebbe was waiting for all these years to be able to say yasher koach. This is for many, many years. This thing was going on for years because the Rebbe's brother passed away Yud Gimel Iyar Tov Shin Yud Beis, which is 1952. The Rebbe's mother passed away Vov Tishrei Tov Shin Chei 1964. It's 12 years that this was going on. And he was involved in this for all these years because it all went from Liverpool back to New

02:45 York, et cetera, et cetera. And he was involved. And from when the Rebbe's son passed away till this meisa happened that the Rebbe saw this Mr. Rabbi Plitnik or Mr. Plitnik, I don't know who he is, was in Tov Shin Nun Alef 1991. So from when the Rebbe's son passed away, which means when this stopped, was 27 years. 27 years passed and still it was on the Rebbe's mind the whole time waiting for this minute when he's able to say yasher koach. So here we see the inyan of hakoras hateiv that the Rebbe had that for so many years he was waiting. Didn't have to think. It was on his mind. 27 years passed. Millions of people passed by the Rebbe. And when as soon as he mentioned the name Plitnik, it came to the Rebbe right away. He said, this is the moment I was waiting for for all, for many, many years. And the hakoras hateiv that he wanted to show and also shows the inyan of kibud eim of the Rebbe that anybody who did something to help his mother, by the Rebbe this was on his mind and he's paying back and paying back and had the hakoras hateiv for that. And obviously this is a lesson for all of us.