The Rebbe'im's Pictures - Part II

00:01 The hemsek and continuation to the earlier installment regarding the Rebbe's insights on the pictures of the Rabbeim, namely the Alter Rebbe and Tzemach Tzedek. We continue now with installment number two discussing the pictures of the Rebbe Maharash, the fourth Rebbe of Chabad, and his son, the Rebbe Rashab, the fifth Rebbe of Chabad. Firstly, referring back to the earlier installment where we quoted from the Rebbe in a sicha that he delivered on the 10th of Kislev, Tov Shin Daled Mem 1983, and he said that a portrait or picture of every Rebbe exists except of the Mittel Rebbe. Shortly after this fabregen, the Rebbe was asked, "What about the Rebbe Maharash? We don't seem to have any picture from the Rebbe Maharash either." The Rebbe responded as a footnote to this section of the sicha and wrote the following. Benegeah to the Rebbe Maharash that we also don't have a picture lifoneinu, which means in a publicized manner, k'ya sheim brim, because there's an opinion that says there is a picture, but because of a specific reason, it wasn't publicized and published. And the Rebbe continues, which the Rebbe implies that there is a way how to connect with the Rebbe Maharash and picture the image of the Rebbe Maharash based on what is known that the image of the previous Rebbe, of whom we do have a picture, is similar to the image of his grandfather, the Rebbe Maharash. The Rebbe continues as a known story benegeah to one of the older Hasidim that lived in

01:59 the time of the Rebbe Maharash and saw the Rebbe Maharash. When he came to the generation of the previous Rebbe's nasius and he saw the Friedike Rebbe the first time, he fainted because this brought back to memory the image of the Rebbe Maharash. So therefore, the Rebbe says benegeah to the Rebbe Maharash, a person studying a discourse of the Rebbe Maharash could picture the image of the Rebbe Maharash since the previous Rebbe resembles the Rebbe Maharash. Interesting to note that on this note, in a book which is named Rav Aryeh Leib Kremer, it's mentioned on page 48 that there are three inyonim that the Rebbetsen Shtet Mesar, the previous Rebbe's mother, related. And the third inyon was, "If you want to know what my father-in-law, the fourth Rebbe of Chabad, the Rebbe Maharash, looked like, look at my son who is the previous Rebbe." This is what the Rebbe mentions in a sicha as quoted earlier. Benegeah to the Rebbe Rashab, the fifth Rebbe of Chabad, the Rebbe mentions in a sicha in Shabbos Parsha BaYeshev, the first day Chanukah Tov Shenun, late 1989. After the Rebbe spoke about the alhoga, how the Rebbe Rashab conducted himself on the night of Nikul, which is the night that we don't learn. So the Rebbe said that from the alhoga of the Rebbe Rashab, there is an additional inyon that we can learn from. Through knowing the alhoga of the Rebbe Rashab in the time of Nikul, we can use the time, fulfill the time in order

04:18 to picture the image of the Rebbe Rashab. By some through a picture, and surely in reality by those that merited to see the Rebbe Rashab in real life. Al derech like it says, that your eyes should see your masters, which he is the meyased, the founder of the Yeshiva Temcheh Mimim. And this in itself, seeing his image, contributes in love and fear of Hashem. And how he conducted himself in order to follow his ways and his teachings. In a footnote to this sicha, it's not what is mentioned on this page, we can explain, giving a reason for two opposite facts. One, that the Rebbe Rashab all his life was very particular to the extreme not to take any pictures of him. On the other hand, when it was in his last years, when he lived in Rostov and he was planning to travel to Eretz Yisrael and he needed a certificate on the part of the government, a passport that should allow him to travel. So that is when a picture was taken of him with his consent. It was later that the Rebbe Rashab remained in Rostov till this talkus. Now, when we get to a picture that was taken from the Rebbe Rashab without his will, without his consent, the Rebbe mentions it in a sicha of Cheydish Tishrei Tov Shen Lamed, late 1969, when we get to the reason which was instituted in the later generations that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, we go to Tashlach on the second day Rosh

06:35 Hashanah. And the Rebbe explained that this is because we see bepe'al that if it's going to be on the first day, which is Shabbos, people might be carrying on Shabbos and there could be mechshelim, stumbling blocks, matzat halacha. And during this sicha, the Rebbe said that this is also connected with a ma'aser av, with a fact of something that took place in the time of the Rebbe Rashab. For many years, the Rebbe Rashab would customarily go to a water body which was outside of the city on Rosh Hashanah when it was in the weekday to say Tashlach together with Hasidim berevam hadras melech. When there's a bigger audience, it's greater splendor for the king. One year, the Rebbe Rashab saw someone was holding a camera and wanted to preserve the image of the Rebbe Rashab. He decided he'll take a picture of the Rebbe Rashab. Of course, this was an outsider that overlooked everything, not taking into consideration that it's a Yom Tov. And when the Rebbe Rashab saw that, the next year the Rebbe Rashab stopped going to Tashlach in this manner. And surely they set up for him in the yard or he did Tashlach in a different way. The Rebbe says, and the reason for that is not because there was only a suspicion that something could happen, but actually something did take place. That there was a person holding a camera, planning to take a picture of the Rebbe Rashab and took a picture of the Rebbe Rashab. To conclude with,

08:35 benegea to the image of the Rebbe Rashab, a story that took place with the Rebbetsin, the Rebbetsin Chaim Mushka, in the early 80s. With her phenomenal memory, the accurate image of the Rebbe Rashab was engraved in her mind. Over the years, when she would see the original picture which was taken in Rostov, as mentioned earlier, she would make a comment that this picture is not really accurate. It doesn't do justice because the hadras ponim, the illuminated face of the Rebbe Rashab, was much more enhanced than how it seems to be on the picture, in the picture. What I once heard was that the picture was taken under certain circumstances. It was a Friday, it was a snow, and it was a rush. Rebbe Rashab just sat down in the salon, in the living room, in his house, and took the picture. The original photo did not express the calm, pleasant, illuminated face that was expressed on the Rebbe Rashab's image. When Rabbi Nochem Kaplan took upon himself to draw the image of the Rebbe Rashab, this was in the early mems, early 80s, and as he was working on the drawing, he brought it to the Rebbetsin in order that the Rebbetsin should make her comments. Initially, the Rebbetsin was not pleased with the accuracy of the image drawn, and she described in a live format the image of the Rebbe Rashab, his holy eyes, the color of his holy beard, the sharpness in the eyes, and to the extent also commented benegea to the

11:00 fingers that they should be drawn, painted in a more delicate manner. All this was corrected according to the instructions of the Rebbetsin, and in the conclusion, the Rebbetsin expressed her satisfaction and asked if the painting could remain in the house overnight. When the Rebbe came home that evening and the painting was on one of the tables, the Rebbe sat down by the table and learned his shiurim that evening, and the next day the Rebbetsin returned the painting to Rabbi Kaplan.