The Rebbe and My Mother

00:00 Today, Gimel Tavis is my mother's, Aliyah Shalom's, Yortzeit. My mother's father, who came from Poland, settled in Chicago in the early 1920s, where he became a rav in his community. He was also a sheychet, and he was a very great scholar, a boki beshas. He knew all the references to the Talmud by heart. He taught my mother Tanakh, Mishneh, and Gemara. My mother was gifted with a phenomenal memory, and decades later, she would, during her conversations, quote verses from Tanakh and the Talmud. After my mother and father got married, when she would, in time of need, write to the Rebbe, the Rebbe would respond to her in Hebrew, and at times, citing sources in the Talmud in the letters that she received from the Rebbe. This brought about a relationship between the Rebbetsin Chaya Mushka and my mother. In fact, after my parents' wedding, the Rebbetsin asked my mother if she could borrow the wedding album of my parents' wedding. My mother understood that the Rebbe and the Rebbetsin had an interest in seeing the album. Over the years, when the Rebbetsin would call asking for my father, who was the Rebbe's personal physician for decades, up to about 40 years, and my mother answered the call, the Rebbetsin would continue to converse with my mother for about 10, 15 minutes at least. At times when an issue came up and the Rebbe was already home for the night, my mother would call the Rebbetsin, and a while later, the Rebbetsin would call back with

01:58 the Rebbe's response. In a period after the stalkers of the Rebbetsin, in Tafshim Memchez, 1988, the Rebbe relayed to my mother that she can still continue calling directly to the house. After the Petirah passing of my father, the Rebbe, in a response to a letter which I wrote then, added, "Shlem imetichya." How is your mother? In 1968, Adar 5728, when my mother was diagnosed by a top physician who also has served the Queen of Holland, this doctor diagnosed my mother with a serious illness. My father sent my mother to make all the tests. After the tests were made and while waiting for the results, my mother met my father in 770. And then after the conversations, she still remained standing in 770, feeling very forlorn and looking down, like tuned out from everything around her. Suddenly, she hears a person who approached her, asking her, "Did you prepare for Shabbos and for Purim?" My mother looked up, and it was the Rebbe speaking to her. My mother told the Rebbe, "This is a serious diagnosis from a top expert." The Rebbe said, "Let's speak privately." And she followed the Rebbe into the Galedna Tachten, the hallway outside the Rebbe's room. When the Rebbe heard all the details, the Rebbe said as follows, "Ere docha professor. Ayermanere docha professor. You are also a little professor. Dub izantochecha kleen abisla professor. Unibenecha abisla professor. Unifzogaich azirat gorsht." The Rebbe said as follows, translated here in English, "He, the doctor, this physician, is a professor. Your husband is

04:06 a professor. You are also a little professor, and I am also a little professor. And I tell you, you have nothing. In any case, let it result in the money expense, making the tests, the completed tests, and let me know the results. Meanwhile, go prepare for Shabbos and Purim." The results showed that everything was normal, and the doctor later was puzzled how it changed to normal. My mother lived after that 33 years. Malkitze veranen oshechni afar behi besecham.